Shells On The Beach (District 4 story)
by KJKatie
Summary: A story about a girl named Damera who lives in District Four. She meets a boy named Jaxe and they fall in love. (I have about 8 Chapters so far to post)
1. Chapter 1

I woke up to the sound of crashing waves. I don't remember falling asleep. My eyes slowly open and I see soft pink and orange morning light peering in from a dirty broken window. It takes me a second to remember where I am- the abandoned beach cottage. I'd come here almost every day since I can remember. It served as my getaway. I could come here and forget everything- school, my family, how I lost my mom when I was only seven, and worst of all, the reaping. Every year, all twelve districts of Panem have a reaping. Where they pick one girl's name and one boy's name from a bowl and they have to fight to the death in a specially designed arena that is shown to all of Panem. I lived in District 4, the fishing district.

Yesterday I lost my best friend to the reaping. Her name was Lily, and she was the same age as me- fifteen. Every year our name gets put in once into the bowl so we both had four, but if our family is hungry and can't afford food we can get Tesseras, which means we put our names in again for how many family members we have and get a year's supply of oil and grain. Lily has two younger brothers, named Nep and Joe and parents, her total number of names in the bowl is twenty. I have a younger brother, Willy and my dad; I have twelve names in the bowl.

I sit up and look down at myself. I am sitting on the sand floor of the cottage with a thick blanket over my legs, my best dress- a light pink summer dress that once belonged to my mother- is all wrinkled from sleeping and my sandy blonde colored hair is falling in front of my face in messy waves. I pull my hair back with the white ribbon that I took out yesterday and stand up.

The gentle ocean air hits my face as I walk out, causing my eyes to sting. I remember I was crying last night over Lily. A fresh tear falls down my cheek and I try to tell myself that it was all a nightmare. I will see Lily again! She did not leave! She did not leave _me_! I will see her in a few minutes when I get back to town, but it's no use, she _did _leave! She _won't _come back, unless she wins.

The cold ocean water laps at my feet as walk down the coast. I watch the sand and water swirl around my toes. Something shiny to my left catches my eye. As I walk toward it the water reaches up to my ankles. I shiver a little from the cold. I stop for a second to look closer at it; the water up to my knees. Reaching my hand down into the water, I grab it and a handful of sand and shells.

I slowly open my hand; in the sand was a silver trident end that was about the size of my pinkie on a long delicate silver chain. The tips of the three trident prongs where rounded, not sharp and pointed like a real trident that our district used for fishing. At the base of the middle prong was half of a tiny silver clamshell and swirls on either end for decoration. Above the shell was a pearl; the creamy white ball was shiny as if it had just been cleaned from a clam. It was beautiful, my brain couldn't wrap around the idea that I was actually holding something made of real silver and a pearl! Let alone a trident! I'd only seen such things in stores and when I took walks in the harbor where fishermen brought in their catch of the day.

I gently scooped water into my hand, washing off the sand and put it around my neck. I held the trident in my hand as I continued walking down the coast. Who did it belong to? How had they lost it? Why was it in the sea? These questions were going though my mind as I walked closer to the harbor. I tucked the necklace inside my dress so it was lying against my chest. The cold silver reminded me it was there as I walked.

The sun was halfway out of the water when I reached the harbor, and it was already busy. Fishermen where busy getting their boats ready to leave for a day of fishing, seafood markets where opening their stores for business, men and women where walking up and down the streets, kids were running around playing ball or tag. That's what district four looks like everyday. Our life is the sea.

Every morning before school I like to go to the end of the longest pier- Misty Pier- and watch the sunrise, today was no different. I walked down the long wooden planks of the pier as I watched the waves lap at the base of the supports.

As I got to the end of the pier I noticed there were a group of five guys about my age already there. I took a deep breath to calm myself and tell myself that they won't notice me or talk to me. I've been shy since I could talk, so I always got nervous around people- especially boys. I walked to the other corner of the pier and rested my arms on the wooden handrails. The sun was slowly turning from orange to yellow. My hand went to the necklace at my chest. It was getting lighter outside; I might be able to see it better. I gently pulled it up and laid it on my hand. I carefully tilted my hand towards the sun so it could shine on the trident. The silver shone beautifully. The right side of my neck felt warm, I realized someone was breathing on it. I gasped and spun around quickly, the trident falling from my hand and hung from my neck. There was no more then four inches between my nose and the boy, who had black hair, a tanned face and green eyes nose. I tried to step away but the handrail pushed up against my back.

"What do we have here? A thief?" He said as he looked down the trident. I heard laughter from behind him; I assumed it was the four other boys.

He stepped back a foot and flicked his other hand forward, and two of the boys walked up and grabbed my arms pinning me to the rails. And the other two boys stood behind him and crossed their arms smirking.

"No! I found it! Please! Le-" I choked up. "Let me go!"

He laughed and fingered the trident in his hand.

"You found it? Really? Did a sea monster give it to you?" He teased.

I feel tears form in my eyes. When I was six, our school went to the beach for a day. Most of us were swimming close to shore, I had wondered off a little deeper then the others. As most six years old are, I was fascinated by the water, how the liquid was cold and just skimmed over my hand, how the sun shone and made reflections on everything. I hadn't realized how far I had gotten into the sea until I felt myself being pushed out farther. The sand wasn't under my feet anymore. I was struggling against the sea. I let out a scream and water filled my mouth. Something grabbed my arm and I screamed again, thinking it was a sea monster.

"Sea monster!" I screamed and squirmed. I heard laughter and I felt myself being pulled to shore. I fell on the sand coughing; above me was one of my teachers. He had swam out and saved me. There was never any sea monster, but my classmates have never forgotten that day.

I watched the black-haired boy as he examined the necklace. "Please. Please let me go!" I screamed as I squirmed against the two other boys.

"Why? So you can run away with this?" He lifted his hand that held the necklace. The boys smirked.

"Let her go!" a guy's voice said behind them.

The black haired boy turns around to face the threat. "Who are you?" He asks.

"Someone who is about to beat you." The other boy says. I squirm trying to get a good look at him. I'm wrecking my brain, trying to figure out who he could be. I don't recognize the voice, but that doesn't mean anything; I don't know a lot of kids at my school.

Everything happens so quickly. The boy trying to save me punches the black-haired boy, who stumbles backwards until his back hits the railing. The two boys that were surrounding him lunge forward. I get a quick look at the boy. He's muscular built, with medium brown hair, bright sea bluish green eyes, and wearing a tight white shirt and jeans.

One of the "bodyguards" trying to land a blow at him, but he ducks just in time and trips him, sending him rolling down the pier. I struggle against the other two boys, their grip is tight, but I remember a trick we learned in survival training and slip though their fingers. I kick one in their sensitive spot and try to run. I feel strong finger grab my forearm. I gasp in surprise and feel hard muscles against my back.

"You're not getting away with that necklace so quickly." He whispers in my ear. I shutter as his warm breath fills my ear. I try to get out of this hold, but he is too strong.

I am forced to watch the brown-haired boy fight with the other "bodyguard" who obviously paid more attention in training. He has large biceps and is about half a foot taller then him. He tries to kick him, but the boy who is saving me moves to the side quickly, so he kicks the air instead. The brown haired boy grabs his neck tightly and steps forward forcing the taller boy to fall hard against the Misty Pier's wooden floor. The air is forced out of his lungs. The boy quickly regains his breath and twists the other boy's wrist. He looses his grip on his neck and the taller boy quickly pushes him off his chest, still holding onto his wrist. He stands up and swings his arm towards the brown-haired boy's face, striking him with his thick elbow. The boy groaned and his head rolled back a little as he stumbled backwards. The taller boy tried to grab him by the shoulders but ended up only getting his shirt.

I gasped not wanting to see anymore. This will be the end for him- he will probably die. I struggle against the leader but he still has a strong grip on me. The other boy that was holding me earlier comes up to my right. Without thinking, I jump up and kick his chest. He falls backwards; over the railing and a few seconds later I hear a splash as he fell into the ocean about twenty feet below. I catch my breath and turn my head towards the fight, I watch as the boy who tried to save me gets punched again.

"No!" I scream, before I realize what I'm doing. "Let him go!" I hear the leader laugh behind me and tighten his grip on my arm.

"I'll tell Jet to stop if you give me the necklace." He says. A million thoughts and voices swirl in my head; most are saying, "Don't do it!", "There has to be another way!" and "You can't! It's yours! They will only sell it for money!" They lose the battle as I lift my hands and unclip the necklace. The boy behind me grabs it with his free hand and I can tell he smiles, even though I can't see his face. The brown-haired boy sees this and I see anger flash across his face, he screams in anger and kicks the other boy, who is watching me, right in his sensitive spot. He crumbles to the floor in pain. The boy doesn't even take a second to watch before he runs toward me. He stops about ten feet from me. I watch him confused, but realize he's not looking at me; he's looking behind me at the black-haired boy.

"Let her go!" He says. I wince as I feel his grip tighten.

"We already went though this, but now I have the necklace. If you let me pass I will let her go."

I saw the boy in front of me narrow his eyes. "I can't do that. The necklace doesn't belong to you! It belongs to her!"

"Not anymore." He laughed. I couldn't take it anymore. I wouldn't let him take the necklace! I found it; I needed to find the real owner! I took a deep breath and lifted my foot slowly. The boy in front of me saw what I was planning and nodded to me, telling me it was a good idea. I stomped hard on his foot, making him yell in pain. He let go of my arm; I quickly run next to the brown-haired boy and turned around to see the other boy hopping painfully. Without realizing it, the boy loosens his grip on the necklace. It falls from his hands and over the railing, towards the ocean below.

"No!" I scream and run to the edge of the pier, leaning over to see a small splash far below. Without thinking I climb up on the rail and dive off. I took a deep breath, seconds later I felt cold water surround me. I swam around for about a minute trying to look for the silver necklace, but the salt water stung my eyes. I went up gasping for air. A splash to my right startled me. It must be the black-haired guy, I thought, scared.

I looked around frantic, trying to see if I could find the necklace shining from above the water. Nothing. I looked up at the sun; I was about an hour late for school! I guess one day can't hurt; I have to find the necklace.

The boy still hadn't come up from the water. I tried to think of what to do. Should I try to save him? Should I swim to shore and run to school? Or should I keep trying to look for the necklace? These questions kept running though my head, I debated for several minutes still not sure what to do, until someone came up for air. I blinked confused. It was the brown-haired boy; I get a better look at him now. He has a chiseled face; his eyes are the color of the sea, blue and green mixed together and his hair is chocolate brown with natural highlights. He lifted his hand, dangling from it was the necklace.

"You found it!" I gasped, swimming to him.

He was still trying to catch his breath, but managed "Yeah."

I took the necklace from his hand and put it around my neck; slipping it in my dress.

"Thank you so much!" I hugged him. Then I realized what I just did and quickly let go, blushing.

He smiled. "Lets get to shore." He said finally catching his breath. I nodded and we both swam to shore.

As we walked out of the water he said, "Jaxe, my name is Jaxe."

"Damera." I said, shyly.

We walk up the beach; the water is down to the middle of our lower legs now.

I take the necklace out and look at it to make sure it didn't get damaged. "Why did you do that?" I say quickly.

"Fighting Titan and his friends? Or searching underwater for five minutes for that?" He nods towards the necklace.

"Both." I answer, stopping. The water swirls around my ankles.

He stops and turns to look at me. "I hate seeing Titan pick on people. He thinks he's President Snow ever since he won the Hunger Games." I looked in his eyes- big mistake- and found myself lost at sea. I felt safe and warm, but at the same time I felt dizzy and my stomach did flips. He blinked and I was brought back to reality. I realized I'd been staring into his eyes for a while. My cheeks felt warm; I lowered my gaze to the sand.

"Y-" I had difficulty forming words. I took a deep breath and tried again. "You- you know him?" I was proud that I'd finished a complete sentence.

"Yes." He took a deep breath. "Once. But after he came back, he wasn't the same."

"Oh." Is all I managed.

"We should get to school." He said and started walking. I nodded and followed, slipping the trident back into my dress…


	2. Chapter 2

The District two boy was massif compared to Lilly. He was muscular and at least six feet tall. His dark brown hair was dripping with sweat; his shirt had rips and blood all over it. _He's not real_. I thought. _He can't be._

His sword glistened red in the desert sun, blood from his last kill. He grinned down at Lily and swung his sword, getting ready for another kill. He was very much alive. Lily's eyes were wide with fear; her black hair was matted and bloodied. But she knew how to fight. She knew how to stay alive. Lilly was tiny; she moved quickly avoiding stabs by the boy. Her allies, the boy from our district and the two tributes from district six, were fighting the other careers.

For District four the camera mainly focused on Lily and Chace, our tributes, but every few minutes they would zoom out to the others. We had to watch as one of the careers killed the girl from district six with a spear. I closed my eyes not wanting to see anymore, but I had to stay strong for Lily. She was going to win- she had to.

They zoomed back into Lily and the boy from district two; the fight was slowing down a little. Lily looked tired, but she kept moving.

"Come on Lily. Hold on." I whispered, worried.

She took a deep breath. Her knife was only about six inches long; it was of no use to her. She'd be died if she tried to get that close to him to make a cut.

The long sword finally found its mark in her stomach. My brain couldn't process what was happening as I saw Lily crumble to the floor. Her life was leaving her slowly, Chace saw what happened and screamed in anger. He picked her up and ran. He ran until he felt they would be safe for the rest of her short life. Chace carefully laid her on the ground and put her head on his lap. She looked up at him. "Thank you. Win-" she winced in pain. "Win for me." She paused, closing her eyes. "Win for our district." She opened her blue eyes, and a tear fell down her cheek. Chace rubbed her shoulders and nodded, a tear also falling down his cheek. "I will." He promised.

She gasped for air then suddenly stopped. The cannon rumbled though the air. She was dead.

"No!" I screamed. I crumbled to my knees crying. My best friend was gone. She died in the hunger games. Emotions filled me- emotions I've never felt before. I buried my face in my hands crying.

I felt warm strong arms embrace me. My dad, I thought. I didn't care whom they belonged to; I didn't want to leave them.

When I finally opened my eyes again, most of the people who had gathered in District four's town square had left. My face felt hot and wet from crying, but I couldn't cry anymore. I felt numb; my mind kept telling itself that Lily wasn't dead. She was winning the Hunger Games. She'd be back before two weeks were up.

"It's okay, Damera. It's okay." Someone said. I realized I was still in those warm, strong arms. I was mumbling, "She's not dead" over and over again. I looked up to see the last person I'd thought I'd see holding me.

"Jaxe?" I asked. My voice was shaky and hoarse.

"I saw you fall and wanted to make sure you were okay." He said.

The ocean breeze had started blowing making me shiver. "I'm- I'm fine."

He took off his jacket and wrapped it around me, hugging me tighter.

"Thanks." I managed, then my eyes widened. Where was my dad? Where was my little brother, Willy?

I squirmed, franticly trying to look around. "Where's my family?" I said, louder then I'd expected.

"It's okay. They went home. I told your dad I'd bring you home when you felt better."

I could only think of my home. Everything had fallen apart and home was the only place I had left.

"I want to go home." I whispered, burying my face in his warm jacket.

"Of course, you need rest." I felt him pick me up, one arm under my knees and the other across my back. I wrapped my arms around his neck so I didn't fall.

After that everything was fuzzy. I was too exhausted. I remember my dad's voice saying, "let's take her to her room." I remember my cold bed, and not wanting to leave Jaxe's warm jacket. I also remember someone kissing my forehead, but my eyes were closed.

"Damera. Damera, wake up."

"Hmmm." I opened my eyes slowly. My father's handsome face was looking down at me.

"How long did I sleep?" I asked as I sat up in bed.

"Almost a day! I thought you'd never wake up!" Willy said as he jumped onto my bed.

"Willy!" my father scolded.

Will laughed. "What? It's the truth!" I threw a pillow at him. I heard a muffled grunt as he fell back onto the floor.

I laughed. I felt something light and warm fall on my lap. I looked down to see a navy blue jacket. Then I realize who it belonged to- Jaxe.

"You wouldn't let go of it, so he decided you could keep it and he'd get it back when you saw him next."

My face grew warm. I didn't let go of it? His jacket kept me warm during the night. He had said to give it back when I saw him next. I was going to see him again? I blushed again.

"Thanks, dad." I said and smiled at him.

"It's almost noon. How about you get up and dressed and take Willy down to the beach for a fun day? It should help you, Damera." He said and kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes remembering last night. It didn't feel the same. Dad didn't kiss me last night. It was Jaxe. I felt my heart beat faster and my cheeks became warm.

"Sounds good." I managed.

"Awesome!" Willy said and run out of my room. My dad followed laughing.

The necklace- I remembered it was what first brought Jaxe to me. He had saved my life. I got out of bed and went to my jewelry box. I didn't have much; only a few rings, a pearl necklace and bracelet from my mother and the trident necklace I'd found only a week and a half before. I kept it in my jewelry box for safety. After what happened last time I wore it, I thought it was safer in my room. I gently took in off the hook and put it around my neck; maybe it would help bring Jaxe to me again. I blushed at the thought.

I put on jean shorts and a light pink tank top and went down stairs for breakfast- well actually it was lunchtime. I hadn't eaten in a day, so I was starving. Willy and I ate quickly and put our dishes away. We were about to walk out the back door when I realized something.

"Just a second!" I said as I ran upstairs. I grabbed Jaxe's jacket- incase I saw him today- then run back to Willy. "Okay now let's go."

We walked out and down the street towards the ocean. I looked down at the jacket in my hand and smiled. He had been there when I needed someone to. He had carried me home. He had made me feel safe.

My day with Willy went by fast. We ran to the beach and played in the sand, making a sand castle like we always did. We played in the shallow waves, splashing each other and seeing who could stay underwater the longest. Even though Willy was only six, his record was a minute and twelve seconds; my record was a minute. When the sun was almost at the horizon, we decided to head back. I grabbed Jaxe's jacket from where I'd left it by our sandcastle and we headed to town. We passed a few people: fishermen, little kids, and a couple holding hands and kissing every few steps.

"Willy. I bet I can bet you home!" I say and start running.

"Hey! No fair!" He says. I look behind my shoulder at him and laugh.

"Damera! Look out!" He says as he stops. I look at him confused.

"Wha-?" I run into something and fall back onto the sand. When I look up I see a familiar face. He's holding a black tackle box and a long fishing pole. "Jaxe?" My cheeks feel warm.

"Are you okay?" He asks rearranging his equipment so he can hold out his hand. I take it and he pulls me up.

"I'm fine." I nod and brush the sand off myself. "I didn't expect to see you today."

"Really?" He asks as he looks at his jacket in my hand.

"Oh um-" I blush. I guess I did hope to see him today. "Here." I hold out his jacket.

"Hold onto it for me?" He nudges his tackle box and fishing pole. "My hands are kind of full."

"Oh, right." I lower my hand, staring at the sand.

After about a minute he asks softly, "Are you going?"

"Where?" I look up at him confused.

"They are having a recap of the hunger games so far; the opening ceremony, the interviews, everything."

"I don't know." I look down at the sand. I'm ready to see Lily. I will start crying again.

"You don't have to stay for the-" He stops, knowing I don't want to hear what he was going to say. "Just come for the interviews and the costumes." He says.

I nod slowly. "Okay. For Lily."

He nods and starts walking, I walk beside him.

"Come on Willy." I say.

When we reach Town Square, I see that it is mostly filled.

"Come on. I know the perfect place." Jaxe says as he runs down an alley and hides his equipment in a hole under a store.

"Willy, go find dad okay?" He nods and runs off.

I turn back around to see Jaxe climbing the store's escape ladder.

"Jaxe!" I say in protest. "I don't think we should do this!"

"It's okay. Trust me." He smiles down at me from about twenty feet up. I blush and swing his jacket over my shoulder. I did trust him. He saved my life once. He had comforted me when I cried. He had carried me home when I was too exhausted to even try.

"Fine, but it better be worth it!" I shout up at him and start climbing up the ladder.

"It will be." He says.

I finally get to the roof and look around. I can see the Town Square below us, the giant television in front of us, the ocean and the harbor behind us, and the homes and stores all around us.

"Wow. This is the perfect place."

"What did I tell you?" Jaxe says as he sits on the edge of the store looking at the television. I sit beside him and watch. On the screen the district one chariot had just started moving. The girl was wearing a white sparkly dress that flew behind her on the ground as the two white horses run down the road. The boy was in a shirt of the same material and simple gray pants.

"I haven't told anyone of that day." Jaxe whispered.

I didn't realize he'd spoken until a half a minute later. I was about to ask what day he was talking about, but then I realized he was talking about the day we first met. The day he saved me from Titan and his friends. The day I found the necklace. I took the silver trident necklace into my hand.

"I haven't either. I mean-" I took a deep breath. "I don't have anyone to tell anymore. Lily was the only person I told my secrets to, but I wouldn't have told her." I whispered.

I felt him squeeze my other hand softly. "I know you miss her." My eyes filled with tears. I forced myself to watch as the district two chariot came out. I focused on the girl; her golden hair was flying as the chariot pulled by light brown horses gained speed. She was wearing a brick red dress that gradually turned into gray. The boy was wearing a brick red shirt and gray pants. They both wore a spiked headpiece. I looked away, not wanting to see the boy that had killed Lily. Jaxe squeezed my hand telling me it was okay.

"How did you get the necklace anyways?" he asked to distract me.

"I found it as I was walking along the beach that morning." I said as I stared at the trident. "I guess it had washed up to shore. I never found the owner."

I looked up as the district three chariot started, the girl and boy where in a robe covered in black material gears, and a black outfit underneath. They were pulled by gray horses that were a little jumpy.

Our district was next. I remembered from the live show, but I had to see Lily again. As the chariot came out pulled by white horses, everyone in Town Square went silent. I watched Lily, her smile tore my heart, her wave made me shake, and her hand in Chace's made me want to cry. Her last wish was that he would win. He had to win. He had to win for her, for the district, for me. I felt Jaxe's strong arm pull me close, he was trying to comfort me. I watched as Lily smiled bravely, her blue and turquoise dress flowing behind her, her naturally straight black hair was curled with small strands of seashells hanging all over her head. Chace, who wore a blue and turquoise shirt with a fishing net draped over his shoulder like a sash and white pants, was holding her hand. She looked beautiful. She didn't deserve to die. Tears started falling down my face; I couldn't stop them. I held the trident in my fist. Jaxe rubbed my shoulder trying to calm me down.

I closed my eyes picturing Lily, and all of the good times we had together.

"I will win, Damera. I'll be home before you know it." She had said when I visited her in the capitol building. I had hugged her for a minute before the Peacekeepers told me I had to go. I wish I hadn't let go. I wish I had pulled her out of the room with me. That scene played over and over on the inside of my eyelids. It seemed so real. I gasped and opened my eyes. Lily was gone. It was just a memory.

Jaxe squeezed me gently. "It's okay, Damera."

"No." I shook my head. "She's gone. She's never coming back."

"She will always be with you. In here." He pointed to his chest, to his heart.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. I nodded. "Yes. In my heart." I placed the trident to my chest. My heart was beating fast.

The interviews were beginning. Caesar Flickerman was standing on the stage in his famous midnight blue suit, this year the color was green. His hair was dyed a lime green, his lips were the color of seaweed and his eyelids were light green. He was getting the crowd excited.

"Welcome to the Forty-Forth Annual Hunger Games!" He said showing off his white teeth. Everyone in the audience cheered and clapped.

"Well, let's get this started! First from District one, Bella Kitman!"

The District one girl came out in a silver dress that ended just above her knee.

I took a deep breath, trying not to think of Lily.

"Damera?" Jaxe looks at me worried.

"I'm okay." I replied. It seemed like that was all I said to him. But I wasn't okay. I had lost my best friend. I had to see her die on live television. Now I was watching what she did before she entered the arena.

"I will win, Damera. I'll be home before you know it." Her voice said in my head again. I took several deep breaths.

"Chace has to win." I whispered.

"He will." Jaxe nodded. "He's seventeen. He's been training all his life. He knows how to survive." He whispered back, hugging me.

I looked back up at the screen. The District two boy was sitting in the chair talking to Caesar. I couldn't take that guy anymore. He'd killed Lily. I buried my face in Jaxe's shoulder, hiding my tears and anger. I tried to tune out his voice, his laugh. I tried to bury my face deeper into his shoulder. I felt Jaxe rub my back softly, I calmed down a little. I suddenly felt tired; it had been a long day playing with Willy.

"Damera," Jaxe whispered a few minutes later. "Lily is next."

I looked up slowly. The boy from district three was leaving. Ceasar got up and announced, "And next The Girl From The Sea, Lily Greenlet!" He swept his arm to the left and she walked up onto the stage. Her long black hair was in waves. She wore a soft blue knee length dress and tan heels.

"You look beautiful tonight." Caesar said as she sat down. She blushed alittle shy infront of the cameras.

"Thank you." She said softly.

"I bet you have tons of boys waiting for you at home."

Lily shook her head.

"No?" Caesar looked shocked. A few "aws" echoed though the audience.

"But I bet you have a crush, do you not?" He asked.

Lily blushed and nodded alittle.

My eyes widen, the thought just dawned on me. I remembered Lily telling me she had met a guy one day at school. She described him as tall, handsome face, light brown eyes, dirty blonde hair, and a tan face. The description matched Chace perfectly.

I gasped, watching Lily's face. That's why she had said, "Win for me." I had thought she just meant because they were both from District four and we would get the benefits if he won.

"They loved each other." I didn't realize I'd said it aloud until Jaxe said, "Then she didn't die alone."

I looked at him. He meant Chace's heart had died when Lily died. When did he get so wise and deep?

Caesar's voice brought me back to reality. "And you don't want to tell us?" Lily looked more relaxed but she said, "No, but he knows."

"Isn't that sweet?" Caesar said and looked into the audience, the "aws" grew louder. Caesar formed his mouth into his classic smile. "Well if you won't tell us. Then why don't you tell us how you got a score of seven out of twelve?"

"Well-" Lily paused, obvious trying to think of how to explain her few minutes with the Gamemakers.

"Just tell your lover. Tell him how good you are, then he can't refuse you." Caesar coaxed.

Lily blushed. "I just did what they taught me in District four."

"Well, they taught you well." Caesar said. The buzzer went off. "Those three minutes went my fast!" He clapped his hands. Lily stood up and waved then walked off.

"Bye Lily." I whispered, finally saying goodbye to my best friend as I watched her walk off stage.

"And now for the boy from District four, Chace Lorteen!"

Chace waved as we came on, he obviously didn't have stage fright like Lily did, or it was his angle.

"Thanks for having me, Caesar." Chace said as he shook his hand and sat down. Caesar smiled and said, "Well what a well-mannered and handsome young man!"

"Thank you." Chace smiled and nodded.

"And he has my taste in fashion!" Caesar announced, causing the audience to laugh and cheer. Chace was wearing a dark green tuxedo, light green tie and black shoes.

"Yes, it seems we both think alike!" he replied laughing. The whole audience in the capitol was laughing with him.

I found myself smiling. Lily had liked him and I knew why. He was handsome and funny; he had a certain charm to him.

"He has to win." I repeated. Jaxe nodded. I looked at him. Lily had found her lover. Had I found mine?

I looked back at the screen. Chace was laughing with Caesar over a joke they had just pulled; the crowd loved it. Everyone below us were laughing too, they had felt relief from Lily's death. It was a happy moment to see the only other tribute from our district that was alive, laughing and cracking jokes. It gave us all hope that he might actually win. Tonight everyone would be giving what he or she had to Mev and Pyra, his mentors, so they can give Chace what he needs to survive and win.

I glanced down at the trident necklace that was still in my hand. It shone in the light that was coming from the big screen. It gave me hope. It gave me comfort. It gave me love. It was mine.

I looked over at Jaxe who was smiling as he watched Chace and Caesar play off each other. The multi-colored lights played off his face, causing his face to be even more handsome. His lips were stuck in smiling position; he was happy. I felt my heart rise a little in my chest; I was starting to feel better. I didn't want this feeling to end. I slowly let my hand make its way to Jaxe's; it slides inside his hand. His smile widened and he turned his head to look at me. He squeezes my hand gently.

"Feel better?" He asks.

I nod. I hear "-District five girl-" from the screen, but I don't pay attention. I focus on the boy beside me. Lights shine off his eyes, causing them to look like the night sky that is above us. I smile and he pulls me closer, his arm still around my shoulder. I look deeper in his eyes, feeling calm even though my heart is beating fast. He leans in, our faces only inches apart. I close my eyes, knowing what will come next. A few seconds later I feel his soft warm lips on mine; it only lasts a few seconds but that's enough to lift my heart to it's normal place. My first kiss, when I needed it the most.


	3. Chapter 3

Last night they had to stop the rewind video because the arena became more interesting. Luckily Chace wasn't there. He was resting in a cave, far away from the rest. Jaxe and I got down from the top of the store and he walked me home, his lips still lingering on mine. We didn't let go of each other's hands. I gave him back his jacket and kissed his cheek before I went inside my house. That night I stayed awake half the night, thinking about Jaxe. I stared at the necklace as if it were from heaven. It had brought _him_ to me. I probably would have never met him, if Titan and his friends hadn't tried to take it from me.

I was in the abandoned beach cabin again. Remembering Lily. We used to come here a lot and make seashell jewelry or just talk. A small chest was in my lap: our memory chest. It was filled with many different shapes of shells, notes, pictures and other objects. I was staring at a picture of Lily and me. We were hugging each other; laughing at joke she'd just said. Our hair was wet from a day in the ocean. We were happy. I missed her.

I placed the picture back in the chest and hid it back under a loose floorboard. I stood up and looked out the window. The tide was coming in, meaning I needed to get back home for dinner. I walked out and stopped, remembering this was where I found the silver trident necklace. I pulled it out, the trident shone in my hand. I rubbed my finger over the surface, something came off and I saw some swirls and marks. I tried to look closer, but I couldn't make out what it was.

The sun had started to set; I was late. I slipped the necklace back into my shirt and ran down the beach towards town. I will look at the necklace later. When I opened the back down and stepped into the dining room, my dad and Willy were already sitting at the table… with Jaxe. I blinked, to make sure I wasn't dreaming. They all looked up and smiled.

"Damera! Finally!" My dad said and stood up. He stepped into he kitchen and made me a plate of food. I was confused. Why was Jaxe here? For Dinner?

He set the plate of grilled Salmon and rice. My dad is a fisherman, so we always have fish for dinner- his catch of the day. But we never had dinner like this.

"Um dad?" I looked up at him. Was this a dream? "What's going on?"

"Nothing sweetheart. I just thought since Jaxe helped you the other night, I'd thank him by inviting for dinner." I quickly looked at Jaxe, he looked a little uncomfortable, but he covered it well. I blushed and looked down at my food. Dad didn't know what happened last night.

We all ate in silence for a few minutes; then Dad started cracking jokes. I watched as my family and Jaxe laughed. We were happy. It reminded me of Chace and Caesar. How everything seemed to melt away except what was happening right now, happiness.

The dinner went by quickly; we all had a great time. We all cleaned the dishes together, and maybe had a soapy water fight. Dad had gone upstairs to clean off and put Willy to bed. Jaxe and I walked outside. It was cold and the smell of the ocean was in the air. Anywhere you are in District four, you can always smell the ocean; that's what I love about it.

"I heard tomorrow they are going to continue the interviews." Jaxe said as he looked around.

I just nodded. I didn't want to think about the Hunger Games. It just reminded me of Lily.

"Sorry." He whispered.

"It's okay." I whisper back and slowly look up at him. He's only a foot away from me, his face filled with concern. I look into his eyes that are bluer then green tonight; again it reminds me of the night sky.

I felt his hand slide into mine. I smile at him, a little nervous.

"Jaxe?" I don't know why I say his name. It just rolls off my tongue.

"Hmm?" he asks, stepping closer.

"I- I need your help."

"With what?" he asks, looking a little confused.

"The necklace." I whisper. "I found something on it. I don't know what it is."

"I'll take a look at it." He nods.

I step back a little, and take the necklace into my hand.

"We need to go back inside. There's more lighting there." He adds.

"I have a better idea."

I walk down to my dad's shed; I can hear that Jaxe is following me. I put in the code and open the door. We can never be too careful, District four is a wealthy place, but not everyone is wealthy. I pull a string and a small light bulb brings light to the shed.

"Here." I walk to a large magnifying glass and brighter light.

"This is yours?" He asks examining them.

"No, my dad's. He has his hobbies."

I took my necklace off and put it under the glass. Jaxe and I move closer to try to see what's on it. My cheeks warmed when I realized our cheeks were almost touching.

Jaxe rubbed his finger across the surface of the trident causing more silver dust to fall off.

"It looks like writing." He said.

"Writing?" I look at it closer. The swirls and lines _were_ letters. "What do they say?" I added. I stepped back so Jaxe could get a better look at it. He leaned close to the magnifying glass, examining the silver trident.

"I can make out the word heart." He mumbles as he stares at it.

Heart? What would the word heart have anything to do with the trident?

"Wait there's more. I can also read opens." He scratched the surface of the first prong, with his fingernail. "Key. It says Key of the Heart's- that's the first line. The next prong of the trident-" he stopped, digging his finger across the prong. "Center Opens The-"

"What?" I stepped closer to see. "It sounds like a riddle, but who wrote it?"

"I don't know." He mumbles still trying to figure out the last line. What could it open?

"Damera?" Jaxe said anxious.

"What?" Something was wrong.

He straightened up and held the trident in the palm of his hand. "It says, Richest Treasure."

My eyes widen. Treasure? Was this an actual key to a hidden treasure? If so, where?

"Treasure?" I was stunned. Had I found a key that lead to treasure?

Jaxe nodded. "Where exactly did you find this?"

"By an abandoned beach house."

"Can you show me tomorrow?" He asked.

"Yeah." I blushed. No one knew I went there except Lily.

He smiled. "Meet me at Misty Pier at eight?"

I stared into his eyes; they seemed to have a new light in them. He was excited too. We were still wet from the soapy water fight earlier. Above his left ear, there were a few bubbles of soap in his hair.

"Um, you have-"

"What?" he asked.

"You have soap in your hair." I whispered and reached up, pinching the soap out of his brown hair. I blushed when I realized what I did. He raised his free hand, keeping my hand to his cheek. I blushed even more, but I hoped he didn't see it in the dim light of the light bulb. He leaned in close, our noses almost touching. I felt hot breath on my lips. Just before our lips could touch I heard my dad yell from the porch, "Damera?"

I pulled away and blushed. "I gotta go."

He placed the trident necklace into my hand. "See you tomorrow." He whispered.

I smiled and ran out. "I'm here Dad! Sorry I was just saying good bye to Jaxe."

"Okay let's get inside. It looks like a storm is coming." He looked up at the sky; clouds were forming quickly, covering the moon. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and we walked inside. I went upstairs to my bedroom and changed into my pajamas. Rain started falling, coming down harder every second. I looked out my window. The shed was closed and the light was off. Jaxe had left. I hoped he got inside before it started raining.

I sat on my bed, staring at my necklace. Was it really a key? Or just a riddle?

Thunder rumbled loudly. Is this want it's like to be in the arena? To hear a cannon when you least expect it? The idea terrified me, until I realized I wasn't in the arena. I was home, safe, while my friend had died in the arena.

"Damera?" I heard Willy's voice from the other side of the door. He was scared of the thunder, always has been. I quickly open the door and pick him up.

"It's okay, Willy." Lightning flashed, causing everything in my room to be a blinding white for a second. He held onto my neck tightly.

"It's okay." I repeated. "It can't hurt us."

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" He whispered, scared.

"Of course, Willy." I pulled back my covers and laid him down, getting in next to my little brother. Thunder boomed, louder this time. He snuggled into me quickly and I hugged him close. Lightning light up my room only six seconds later. I held my brother tight.

The next morning I woke up to sun pouring in my window. Willy was still sleeping in my arms, his light hair sweeping across his face. I smiled, remembering I used to sleep with my parents when there was a storm. Very slowly and gently I got out of bed so Willy wouldn't wake up, and walked to my window. Our backyard- which was really a yard, there was no fence, and it was only a fifteen feet out beyond our house- had pieces of wood and debris all over it. The tropical storm had destroyed most of our district, but we were used them. Today everyone would be cleaning, repairing, and getting on with their lives. I had to meet Jaxe at the Pier! I quickly took a shower and dressed in a soft pink shirt and jean shorts. I put the necklace on and looked at it one more time.

Willy was still curled up in my bed, sleeping. I gently kissed his forehead and went down stairs. I had a quick breakfast by myself; my dad was already out at sea fishing. I looked up at the clock and realized I had slept in with Willy; I was half an hour late! I walked outside; people are already cleaning up the streets and yards. I run down to the harbor and up the pier. When I get to the end I see Jaxe leaning on the railing, watching the waves below him. I remember jumping off that very railing trying to recover the trident necklace that Titan had dropped.

I tapped his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

He doesn't turn around, knowing it's me. "I was remembering how stupid I was to jump of the railing just a week ago." I lean on the railing next to him. "I could of died."

"But you didn't." I whispered.

"And I would do it again if it meant saving you again." I blushed and he smiled.

"I was fine before you jumped off."

"Yeah? You were about to give up on looking for the necklace." He said turning around, resting his elbows on the railing.

"No I-" I didn't know what to say. I wouldn't have given up! Well maybe I would have after a while.

Jaxe laughed. "See? You need me."

My face felt hot.

"Are you going to show me where that beach house is or not?"

"Right." I nodded and started walking back down Misty Pier, with Jaxe walking beside me.

After about half an hour of walking a long the beach, I looked up at the old beach house. Part of the roof was lying on the sand, the right wall had a hole in it, the door was gone, and the other window was broken. I stopped and stared at it.

"I'm guessing it wasn't like that before." Jaxe said as he walked up to it.

I nodded. "No." was all I managed. I followed him in. There was debris everywhere on the floor. Jaxe carefully stepped over the broken door and into the middle of the one room beach house. My memory chest! I ran to the loose board and pulled it up.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Jaxe said, watching me.

Looking inside I calmed down; my memory chest was still there, unharmed.

"A box full of memories I have of Lily." I placed the board down again.

"Maybe there is another one in here some where that needs a key!" He said, getting excited. I looked at him.

"You think it's real?"

"Don't know, but it doesn't hurt to try."

"Okay, fine. Let's look." I stood up. "I've been coming here since I can remember and I've never seen a chest of treasure. I don't think it's here."

He looked around. "You never know."

I watched as he moved the debris around.

"What are you doing?"

"Maybe there is another loose board." He said as he looked around.

"L-" I paused. "Lily and I already looked."

He stopped a second and looked at me. "Damera, it's a puzzle. Don't you want to figure it out?"

I sigh and nod slowly.

We looked all over the cabin until the sun shone above us telling us that it was afternoon.

"It's almost time for the continuation of the interviews." Jaxe said when he saw the sun.

"Let's go. There's nothing here."

We walk out of the damaged house and down the beach. When we walked into town, everyone was still going on with their normal schedules. We were early.

"Same place?" Jaxe asked, and looked over at me. I nodded and followed him down the same alley as before. We climbed the ladder and sat down on the edge. The screen was currently showing the arena live. The careers and the district seven boy were surrounding a campfire; that was under a few cacti. The district nine boy and were asleep around it. Easy kill for them. We watched as the first district boy came up behind the girl and covered her mouth. She woke up and squirmed trying to get away, but it was no use. His sword went though her heart before she could do anything. The boy woke up and grabbed his knife. He quickly stood up, glancing at the dead girl to his left and realized what was going on. The careers closed in on him. The district two boy twirled his sword around his hand, grinning.

"A fighter?" he laughed. "Not for long."

Fighter? Lily was a fighter. The district two boy's specialty was fighting with them long enough to wear them down. I closed my eyes not wanting to watch. I heard the clang of metal and grunts.

Jaxe slipped his hand into my hand. I relaxed a little, knowing I was safe. I slowly opened my eyes. The camera had zoomed in on their fight. The district nine boy was putting up a good fight. He knew how to fight, which was unusual. I remember District nine was farm factory district, he was strong from working in the factories, but it was unusual for him to know how to fight. I bet the Gamemakers were taking in to account what was happening also. The boy started to slow down; he was sweaty and tired.

"No." I mumbled and looked away. I focused on our hands. Our fingers were intertwined perfectly, as if they were meant to be together. It felt right. I heard a scream of pain, and I was brought back to reality. The boy was dying; the district two boy was standing over him smirking. The other stood behind him watching.

"He's a ruthless killing machine." Jaxe whispered. I just nod. He starts mentally counting on his other hand. "That means there are only seven tributes left." He adds.

"Seven out of twenty four? It's getting serious." I whisper.

We watched as the Careers made a camp in a small cave and took turns watching as the others slept. We heard the announcer tell us the interviews would continue in a few minutes.

"Jaxe?" I whispered after the announcer stopped talking. I hadn't seen Chace for a while.

"Yes?" He looked at me, a gentle ocean wind brew brown hair off his forehead. I forgot my question for a second.

"Um-" I blinked. "What happened? Why did they stop the interviews?"

"I think it was when the District seven boy allied with the Careers. And they tracked down Chace." He whispered.

My heart beat faster. "They found Chace?" No, Chace had to win. If they found him, that meant he was dead. That can't happen. He said he'd win for Lily! He said he'd win for the district. For me. He squeezed my hand.

"Damera." He whispered. "He's alive. He killed the district two girl. But he was injured." He paused. "I didn't know how to tell you."

"So no one told me?" I felt betrayed. No one wanted to tell me that Chace was injured. What if he died? They wouldn't tell me. I'd go around thinking everything was fine and Chace was coming home, but he'd be already dead.

Jaxe sighed. "I'm sorry."

Caesar Flickerman was standing on the stage in the Capitol.

"And now the electrifying lovers of district five!" First the girl came on. She was wearing black with a line of white light along the hem of the knee length dress. She was smiling, obviously playing that she was in love. I looked at Jaxe. I blushed when I realized he was looking at me. With his free hand he gently pushed a loose strand of my wavy hair out of my face.

"You had soap in your hair." He teased. My cheek became hot. He leaned in, gently stroking my hair out if my face. I closed my eyes loving his touch.

"Damera." I heard him whisper as Caesar announced the boy from district five.

"Yes?" I whispered back.

"I think I'm falling in love with you."

I open my eyes looking into his sea colored eyes. Our faces were close enough that I could feel his warm breath on my lips.

"I think I'm falling in love with you." I repeated and smiled. He took that time to place his hand on the back of my neck and gently pulled me close, planting him lips on mine. I closed my eyes again, enjoying every millisecond. This time the kiss lasted longer. When we finally pulled away, it felt like just a second had gone by. But I heard Caesar announce, "Freya Waters from District Seven!" A young girl with a long light brown braid down her back walked up onto the stage, she smiled at Caesar.

"Your dress is stunning!" He said, amazed.

She smiled, "I fell in love with it when my stylist showed it to me."

She was in a floor length black dress, cloth vines and leaves twisted around her chest and waist then multiplied and spread out down to the floor. She twisted around and the leaves seemed to actually swirl around her. The capitol went crazy.

"Lumber District." I whispered and Jaxe nodded.

Caesar finally asked her to sit and he asked her a few questions. She replied with jokes and flirty replies.

Jaxe looked at me again, I smiled. "Is this going to be a habit?"

"What?" He replied.

"Coming up here? Getting distracted with a kiss?" I blushed.

"Well, I know you like it." He whispered teasingly.

"Jaxe!" I punched his arm lightly. He rubbed it as if it hurt and we started laughing.

We watched as the tributes talked. The boy from District Seven was shy but strong. The girl from eight wore a short gray dress and looked scared to death, the boy looked frightened also. The girl from nine had a dark green knee length dress. The boy looked ready to get in the arena. The district ten tributes were big and didn't say much. "Mekiz Asensio! The girl from District Eleven!" Caesar said as he waved his hand. The girl was a little short for an eighteen year old had black hair and medium dark skin. She was wearing a yellow and white vertical striped dress that reached her knees. She looked terrified. The boy from eleven was muscular and the tributes from twelve were small and very skinny.

After that there was a discussion between a few Gamemakers about why they chose the desert. Then they went back to the live arena. The Careers were still sleeping. They cut to Chace, who was walking down the sand, slightly limping. There was a black bandana tied tightly above his knee. The camera zoomed out showing that the district ten boy was going in his direction.

The boy turned the corner and say Chace. Chace took out his sword and dropped his bag. The district ten boy looked dehydrated, not a hard kill for Chace.

He stepped closer to the boy, determined to win.

I looked away, still not wanting to watch people die.

"It's okay Damera. He's dead." Jaxe whispered and squeezed my hand. The cannon blasted though the air.

I looked back to see Chace limp over to his bag and pick it up. He started walking again. It cut back to the Careers; they were walking up. It seemed like it dawned on them that it was only they and Chace. They turned on the district seven boy, but he was ready. Before he went down he stabbed the district one girl. They died and the cannon blasted again.

"It's happening fast." I whispered. Jaxe nodded.

A desert sandstorm started, causing the remaining Careers to run. The Gamemakers wanted it over; it was going to end tonight. They were herding them together. We watched as they ran for their lives. The boy from District one tripped and fell; the others didn't notice. The sand ripped through him. I buried my face in Jaxe's shoulder, not wanting to see him die.

"There's only two left." Jaxe whispered.

They almost ran into each other, their eyes filled with terror. The sandstorm started to dissipate; they started to notice each other. They faced each other; Chace was against the district two boy.

This was it; either Chace will win or the boy from District Two. Chace took out his sword and held it up.

"You won't hurt me again, Mason." Chace said. "I'm going to win."

The boy just laughed and took out his long sword.

Chace watched the large muscular boy, trying to find his weakness. He had to outlast Mason in the fight. He couldn't afford to get tired, or weak. Chace was ready to take him down; he was ready to win. Mason slashed at him, before Chace could block. It was only a flesh wound across his chest, but it was enough to make me nervous. They were both alittle hydrated, but fighting to live. Chace grunted and slashed at him. He moved out of the way, but Chace wasn't giving up. He quickly lunged forward, kicking off the ground. Mason tried to move, but Chace kicked him to the ground. He sat on his chest and shoved his knee down onto his arm that held his sword. Mason lost his grip on his sword, but he wasn't giving up either. He used his bare hand to punch Chace in the side. Chace groaned and fell off Mason, who quickly got up and grabbed Chace's sword.

"Now you will die by your own sword." Mason said and placed his foot on his chest. Chace was trying to fill his lungs with air; he winced as the district boy's foot stepped on his fresh wound. Chace looked up at the boy who was trying to kill him.

"No!" He shouted and grabbed Mason's leg, twisting it. Mason screamed in pain

and backed up. Chace lunged at him again, grabbing hold of his sword that was still in the other boy's hand. They used all of their strength pushing against the sword. Chace bared his teeth in desperation. He wasn't going to let go. He couldn't, not if he wanted to win. He pushed harder sending Mason flying to the sandy floor. Chace and Mason were exhausted. Chace stood there for a second trying to slow his breathing. Mason was coughing up desert sand.

At first I thought it was a cannon blast, but then I realized it was thunder. A desert storm was coming fast. Lightning struck about thirty feet away from them. The Gamemakers weren't going to make their fight easy. Rain came fast and hard, and the lightning struck closer.

Both of the boys had the same idea at the same time: Run! Mason stood up quickly and they both ran, forgetting each other, forgetting that they were in the arena. They ran side by side, it was a race. But it was a race against lightning, not each other. The Gamemaker's storm followed them. I remembered the storm we got last night, Chace knew how to survive storms. Did Mason? As they ran they started to go up hill. The camera zoomed out showing us there was a large pit ahead, but we all guessed it wasn't a normal pit. Chace saw it first; he skidded to a stop a foot from the hole. Mason wasn't lucky enough; he couldn't stop fast enough. His hands found a boulder on the side and he hung there. We heard hissing noices and his eyes went wide when he realized there were snakes below.

"Help!" He screamed, trying to get out. Chace was backing away from the edge, not wanting to watch. The storm stayed overhead and lightning struck only a few feet away from the pit.

I closed my eyes, hoping this was the end. That Mason would die, by getting bitten by snakes.

I heard a scream and knew that a snake had bitten Mason. I opened my eyes and saw Chace on his knees. He was trying to tune out the sounds of the district two boy. Thunder boomed above him and lightning struck. The camera went white for a second, and then refocused. We saw that the lightning had struck Mason! He had fallen into the snake pit, dead.

The storm stopped as quickly as it started and a hovercraft appeared, taking the exhausted Chace away.

Cheers went up below us. Our whole district was celebrating that Chace had won. At first I just sat there in shock. Had he actually won? Was this a dream?

"Damera?" I heard a calming voice say, I realized it was Jaxe's. "Damera, Chace won!"

I stood up, reality finally coming to me. I smiled. "He won for Lily." I said. Lily would not die in District Four's heart for a long time. I was so relieved that I wrapped my arms around Jaxe and hugged him. He lifted me off the ground and spun me around. I laughed happily and Jaxe gently set me back on the store's roof. The announcers congratulated our district and started talking about what happened. Jaxe and I climbed down from the roof. We held hands as we walked to my house. All I felt was joy.

The next day Jaxe and I held hands as we walked down beach to the abandoned beach house. I was in high spirits; Chace had won yesterday.

"Jaxe?" I said smiling.

After a minute he said, "Yeah?" in a relaxed voice.

"I bet I can bet you there!" I shouted as I threw my shoes on the sand and ran, letting go of his hand.

"Hey!" He shouted back and ran after me. I started laughing and found I couldn't stop. I kept running, watching the ruined house get bigger with every step. I wasn't paying attention to where my feet went and the next thing I knew I was laying on my stomach in the sand. My left foot and ankle were throbbing.

"Are you okay Damera?" Jaxe said. I heard him stop on my left. I turned over and propped myself up on my elbows.

"My right foot." I winced. Jaxe kneeled down by my foot and gently lifted my leg.

"Does this hurt?" He slowly turned my foot.

Pain shot up my leg. "Ah! Yes!"

Jaxe frowned. "I think you've sprained your ankle. What did you trip on?" He looked around. I carefully sat up and looked back at where I'd fallen. I tide was washing over something sticking out of the sand; Jaxe saw it too.

"Don't move, Damera. I'll look." He says and gets up. He lowers himself next to the object and studies it.

"What is it?" I ask curiously.

"I don't know." He mumbles and brushes some wet sand off it. "I think it's some kind of container." I watch as he tries to pull it out.

"Need help?" I try to stand.

"No! Damera, stay down. It's okay." He continues to try to dig it out. He sits back with a small container only about the size of book.

"It's some sort of box." Jaxe said as he got up and walked to me. He sat down next to me, holding the box in his hands. I gently took it from him and examined it. It was black with three small vertical holes on one side.

"What are these?" I whispered, running my fingers over them.

Jaxe leaned in and looked at them. "I don't know." He ran his finger over it too then said, "Wait-" He looked at me. I looked at him at the same moment; we both had the same idea at the same time. The trident was the key. I took out the necklace and flipped it over in my hand. The inscription on the trident said, "Key Of The Heart's Center Opens The Richest Treasure." Was this the key to the box? What was inside?

"Well here goes nothing." I held the small trident in between my thumb and my index finger and pushed it into the box. It was a perfect fit. When the prongs were all the way in, a lid popped open. I looked at Jaxe; this was it. We found the treasure. I slowly pulled the lid up and we looked inside. There were old photographs, letters, a few shells, some sand, a sand dollar, a pen, a lock of blonde hair, a red ribbon, and a pocket watch.

"Woah." I whispered. I picked up the photographs; they were all in black and white. There was a girl with light hair hugging a boy with dark hair. Another had the same girl and boy, but in this one they were kissing. Another had them fishing. And another had them holding hands as they walked down the beach.

Jaxe started to take out the letters. "Wait." I said. "This is some sort of lover's memory box. I don't think we should read them." He thought about it for a second then nodded.

"Your right." He said. "I guess the treasure is love."

My cheeks turned warm. "I guess so." I took the trident out and closed the box.

I tried to move into a more comfortable position, but my ankle hurt too much. I winced in pain.

"Let's get you back to your house." Jaxe said.

"But first let's put this with my chest." He nodded, stood up and held out his hand. I took it and he pulled me up. I placed all my weight on my right foot. I hopped for a few feet, and then stopped. "Jaxe. This isn't going to work."

"Okay, plan B." He said and picked me up. I laughed and held the box tightly against my stomach. He carried to the abandoned beach house and set me down next to the loose plank. I lifted it up and placed the box inside, next to my chest full of memories I shared with Lily. It would be safe here.

I carefully stood up. Jaxe grabbed my elbow to steady me. I looked up at him and smiled. "I think the treasure truly is love." I whispered. We leaned in and kissed. My stomach turned over in excitement. He gently pulled me closer to him and our kiss deepened. I wrapped my arms around his neck. He picked me up again, but our lips did not separate. I ran my fingers though his brown hair. He pulled away only so he didn't fall as he carried me out the door. He kissed my forehead.

"Will you be mine?" He asked.

I didn't need to think about it. "Yes." I said. "I love you."

"I love you." He said and his lips found mine again.

I was truly happy. I was moving forward, my life had a purpose again. I would never forget Lily, but now I had Jaxe. He was mine. I was his. We were in love.


	4. Chapter 4

_Dear Amy my love,_

_I promise I'll be back as soon as the war is over. I miss you so much. I miss your smile. I miss your touch on my skin. I miss your lips on mine. I miss your body fitting perfectly in my arms. I miss the feel of your hair. I miss the whispers of love you would say in my ear. I miss your hand in mine. I miss the way I felt whenever we were together. _

_But most of all I miss you, my love. Everything here is miserable. We are always in the trenches. The sounds of explosions are always ringing in my ears. I can't wait to see you again. Everyone here is homesick. We all miss our families. I can't tell you how many dead I see everyday. War certainly does not come from God. We weren't supposed to suffer like this. I can't wait to come home to you. Please don't worry too much, Amy. I love you. _

_Your one and only,_

_Jonathan _

_January 2__nd__ 1915_

I've probably read this love letter at least hundred times. All of the letters we found in the box were extremely old; they were yellowed and almost crumbled in my hands. The yellow tape didn't stick anymore and the ribbon that held it closed was hard and frayed. It is my favorite out of all the letters Jaxe and I found in the lover's box last year. Last year I lost my friend to the Hunger Games, but I found love in Jaxe. Lily's dying words were to Chace, the boy tribute from our district, to win for her. He did and when he finally came back to District Four, I got to thank him for what he did. Chace became one of my best friends after that, and Jaxe and I regularly visit him in the Victors Village. Chace may not of had scars on his body anymore, but he did have them on his heart and mind. He missed Lily as much as I did. And killing people and watching people dying haunted him. I imagined that was how Jonathan in the letter was; he had to watch people all around him die in the war.

I carefully set the letter down on my nightstand and got out of bed. Today Jaxe was going to take me fishing. I got dressed in black shorts and a thin white shirt with black sneakers. I braided my long wavy hair, letting the short strands around my face to fall out.

I debated with myself a few months ago, if I should keep wearing the silver trident necklace, or if I should put away somewhere safe to protect the two lover's memory. I couldn't get myself to let go of it. It was a part of Jaxe and me as well. Like a family heirloom; being past down from lovers to lovers. I smiled as I picked it up in my hand and put it around my neck. I didn't hide it in my shirt this time, Titan would not bother me again; and I didn't need to worry about anyone else. I would be with Jaxe; we could protect each other. I let it hang down in front of my shirt. I hurried downstairs and grabbed my jacket.

"Bye! Going fishing with Jaxe! See you later!" I shouted over my shoulder to Dad and my little brother Willy as I ran out of the backdoor.

I walked over to Sea Shell Diner, our favorite place to meet and have breakfast. It was right on the water in the harbor; all of the food was fresh. I sat at our table and waited. I was watching the ridiculous-looking announcers from the Capitol debate about the weather on the diner's little television, when I smelled something sweet. It was not anything like the food aroma in the air. It was different, sweeter, more like my mom's perfume that I keep for special occasions. I looked down and saw a hand holding a red rose in front of me.

I smiled, my cheeks feeling warm. I took the rose, careful of the thorns and said, "Jaxe. I know it's you." He stepped out from behind me and smiled.

"How could you tell?" He teased as he sat down in front of me.

"Not many guys give me roses." I replied, putting the delicate flower to my nose. I inhaled the sweet aroma.

"There are others that do?" He pretended to look jealous.

I laughed from behind the rose.

"So, what are we going to try for breakfast today?" I asked. We started the tradition a few months ago, of trying a new dish every week. If we liked it we would have it every day of that week.

"Hm." He said and looked at the menu. "How about the Razor Clams and Eggs?"

I set the rose down and looked at the menu.

_Razor Clams and Eggs_

_Razor clams chunks breaded and quickly fried, served with two eggs, home fried potatoes, and an English muffin. _

I shrugged. "We can try it."

A few minutes later, a waitress came by and took our order. I also ordered a glass of milk and Jaxe ordered Orange Juice.

"So, we are still going fishing right?" I asked.

"Of course." He said. "I wouldn't miss watching you catch your first fish for anything in the world."

I laughed. "Jaxe, you do realize my dad is a fisherman right? I've gone fishing with him more times then I can remember. I bet I'll catch a bigger fish then you!"

"Oh, you're on! What are we wagering?"

I thought for a minute then smiled, "If I win, you have to got to the end of Misty Pier and jump off like the first time we met."

He laughed and my heart did a flip. He laugh was so perfect; it made me happier just hearing it. I wanted him to laugh all day. It made me feel amazing that I made him laugh.

"And if I win. You have to jump off with me!"

"Fine." I say and smile.

I turn my attention back to the television. A Capitol lady with red lips and eyelids, a burgundy wig dressed in a busy red dress is laughing with a man with turquoise hair, lips and eyelids and a white and green suit. They continue talking about a new building that is being constructed in the Capitol.

"How do they think all those bright colors are attractive?" Jaxe said, following my gaze.

I look at him and laugh. "I don't know. But I think the colors melted into their brains." I whisper so no one else can hear. Jaxe joins in with his perfect laugh.

The waitress comes with our food and we thank her.

I take a deep breath and say, "Ready?"

Jaxe nods. "Here goes nothing." He says and stabs a piece of the clam with his fork. He puts it in his mouth. I watch his face, trying to figure out if he likes it or not.

"And?" I whisper anxiously.

"It's actually really good." He smiles and I laugh.

We ate our breakfast, then walked down the harbor, hand in hand.

"Where's your boat?" I ask after we've been walking for at least fifteen minutes.

"Just a little bit farther."

"Where are your supplies?" I ask, realizing we didn't bring anything.

"My fishing rod and tackle box are in it already." He says.

"Oh." He stops. "What is it?" I ask, thinking he forgot something.

"Nothing." He chuckles. "We are here." He nods towards a small boat that is about twice the length of me. Its blue and white striped paint is faded and starting to peel. Jaxe helped me into the boat and I sit on the front bench, facing the back. I watch as Jaxe unties the boat from the harbor and jumps in. I smile at him as he sits down on the other bench and starts the little motor. After a few minutes we are out of the harbor and into the open ocean. I take a deep breath, loving the smell of the ocean. I couldn't imagine being away from it. It made me feel so relaxed and happy. I watched the water skim off the boat in waves and ripples, when I look up I see Jaxe looking at me.

"What?" I laughed, trying to cover my blush.

"Nothing." He mumbles. "I could watch you all day."

My cheek became warmer, he laughs. Jaxe steers the boat for about half an hour then stops and looks around.

"Best place to catch fish." Jaxe said as he stands up.

I watch him. "Are you sure? I've never been out here before."

"Exactly." He grins. I laugh and roll my eyes.

"Can you get up for a second?" He asks.

"Oh yeah. Sure." I stand up and he opens the bench. Jaxe takes out a tackle box, two fishing poles and a small ice chest.

"Lunch?" I ask and he nods. "You think of everything don't you?" I laugh. He shrugs and grins.

"That's why I love you." I whisper and push the bench back down, so I can sit down.

"Is that the only reason?" He teases as he puckers his lips.

"Jaxe! I could push you off the boat you know!" I shout.

He laughs and puts his hands up in a common motion of surrender.

He sits back down and gets the fishing poles ready. I curiously open his tackle box. Worms squirm around in a small container and a few plain metal hooks and a few rolls of extra fishing line litter the bottom of the box.

"You use live worms?" I ask shocked. All the fishermen I knew gave up on worms a long time ago, for better hooks and bait.

"Best bait there is." He laughs and opens the container. He takes out a fat worm and hook, then punctures the worm with hook and ties it on the line connected to the pole. I wince, but kept watching. He flicks it out into the water and smiles.

"And our day begins." He says.

I copy what he did and throw mine out on the opposite side of the boat.

"Is the bet still on?" Jaxe asks after a few minutes of relaxing silence.

"Of course! I wouldn't let you get off that easy."

I laugh and lay down on the bench, still holding the fishing pole. I look over at Jaxe, smiling. He stands up on the boat slowly and comes over and sits on the floor beside me, still holding his fishing pole also. I smile and touch his cheek softly with my free hand. He closes his eyes at my touch. I remember what Jonathan said in the letter. _I miss your touch on my skin._ I smile, gently running my fingers over his cheek.

After a few minutes Jaxe opens his eyes again and smiles. He leans down and gently kisses me. Something tugs at my fishing pole; I sit up quickly.

"I think I got a fish!" I laugh and start to reel it in.

"I thought I could distract you from catching anything." Jaxe says disappointed.

I laugh and keep reeling in the fish. "You didn't get that lucky, Jaxe."

The fish emerges from the water and dangles from the pole. I smile.

"I got the first catch!" I say as Jaxe takes out a net and holds it out over the water. I gently place the fish in.

He smiles. "Nice one." I stand beside him as he takes the hook out of the fish's mouth. It flops in his hands, but then finally stops. I get a better look at it and see that the fish is about one and a half the length of my hand.

After a few hours of fishing, Jaxe says, "I think it's time to eat."

I smile and nod, watching as he opens the ice chest. "Well, we have tuna sandwiches, Caesar salad, and veggie wraps. Courtesy of my mother, the cook." He laughs.

I laugh. "I'll try a veggie wrap, please."

"You got it! One veggie wrap coming right up!" He says making me giggle.

He takes it out and hands it to me, then takes another out for himself as he sits down on his bench.

"So what else is in that magic chest of yours?" I tease.

"Oh, right! I forgot drinks!"

I laugh and watch as he kneels back in front of the ice chest. I unwrap the plastic from around the wrap and take a bite. I can taste lettuce, avocado, tomatoes and cheese. My taste buds crave more, and I take another bite.

"mmm. This _is_ good!" I say and smile at him.

"What did I tell you? My mom is a cook." He smiles, and then adds, "Ok we have water, pineapple juice and strawberry soda."

I smile; he didn't even have to ask. Jaxe takes out a bottle of strawberry soda and hands it to me; he already knows my favorite drink. I take it and gulp down half the bottle in less then thirty seconds. The sweet bubbly liquid filling my mouth and down my throat. I smile; Jaxe had introduced me to this drink the next day after he asked me to be his girlfriend. My first taste sold me for the rest of my life. The sweetness seemed to come straight from heaven.

After we ate, we tallied up how many fish each of us got. I caught five and Jaxe caught four.

"Now let's see who caught the biggest." Jaxe says and smiles.

I roll my eyes. Jaxe mind was only thinking of the bet. Boys and bets, I should of known better.

We each found the biggest fish we caught then put them next to each other. The dead fish in Jaxe's hand was about two inches larger then the one in my hand.

"I won!" He says. I wondered what he would of done if he had lost.

"Yes, I guess you did." I say and set the fish down.

"You know what that means?" He asks as I sit back down on my bench.

"I have to jump of Misty Pier with you?"

"Yes, but it also means-" He steps over the fish and stands right next to me. "-That I get to have a victory swim right now! And you are coming with me!" He quickly picks me up in his arms.

"Wait what? No!" I scream, but it's too late. He's already thrown me overboard.

The cold water swallowed me up as I suck fast, but I wasn't going to lose this battle. I knew how to swim. My dad taught me when I was only four. I swam up to the surface and filled my lungs with air.

"That was totally not fair!" I shouted, but when I looked into the boat, that floated about twenty feet away from me, Jaxe wasn't there. I looked around scared for a minute.

"Jaxe? Jaxe!" I shouted, emotions already gripping hold of me. I felt my throat start to close up with worry. I can't lose him; he's the only thing that makes me happy. If he's gone, what will happen to me?

Something underwater grabs my ankle. I scream. Is this what got Jaxe too? I try to swim away, but it held on tight. I try to kick the thing below me. The memory of the 'sea monster' when I was little, flashes in my mind. I squirm harder as I feel it pull me under. I take a deep breath as my head ducks below the waves. I can't see anything, the water is too dark below me and the salt water starts to sting my eyes. I feel arms wrap around me as a body presses up against my chest. I try to squirm, but I can't move. I feel lips press against mine, and I relax realizing it is Jaxe holding me. I am going to get him back for scaring me like that, but right now I was enjoying it. After a few seconds we swim up and gasp for air.

"You scared me!" I scream and punch his arm lightly.

He just laughs. "That's the idea. I wish I could have seen your face!" He says.

"Jaxe!" I try to squirm out of his strong arms, but he holds me tight.

"You're not going anywhere, Damera." He smiles.

I finally give up. I admit I like the feeling of being in his arms; I feel safe. I feel wanted and where I belong. Jaxe smiles and kisses my forehead.

"I love you." He whispers. I've probably heard that sentence over a thousand times over the past year, but I never get tired of hearing it.

"And I love you." I whisper back and smile.

After a few minutes of staring lovingly into each other's eyes, Jaxe looks up.

"It's almost five. Let's get back aboard and have dinner" He says and smiles.

"Okay." I nod and we swim back to the boat. He helps me get in then gets in.

"So, sandwiches?" I ask as I undo my braid and squeeze the water out of my hair.

"Sure." Jaxe smiles and opens the ice chest. He takes out to small plastic bags containing one sandwich each. He gives one to me and sits down.

"Thanks" I open mine and bite into the sandwich. The salty taste fills my mouth; I also taste watery lettuce and cheese. My mouth waters and I take another bite.

"What is this meat?" I ask, eating more.

"Beef, from District ten." Jaxe smiles and takes a bite of his. I've never had beef before. Only fish, clams, and once I had chicken on Christmas Day when I was eight, the day after Willy was born.

"It's good." I say and smile and he nods. I finish my beef sandwich quickly and Jaxe throws me a good water bottle. I swallow the cold liquid quickly also.

The cold water inside me, the swim with Jaxe in the cool ocean, and the coastal wind that was picking up caused me to shiver.

"Come here, Damera." Jaxe says as he leans down behind his bench and picks up a jacket. I stand up and go over, sitting beside him. He puts the jacket around me; I look down at it and realize it's the same jacket as the one he put around me the night Lily died. I blush and look up at him.

"Thanks." I say as my body starts to stop shivering. Jaxe sits beside me and wraps his arms around me. I lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. I add, "Thanks for today."

"Let's head home." He whispers and turns the motor on, steering us back towards shore.

The next morning I wake to the soft noise of rain on my bedroom window. It almost sounds like a lullaby, singing me to sleep. I open my eyes and look at my clock. 5:23. Way too early to get out of bed. I wasn't going to meet Jaxe until 8:00. Once every week, Jaxe and I take turns getting two fish and bringing them to Chace. I had started that tradition, the day Chace came back. I felt like I owed him something for winning for Lily.

I remember that day well. It was raining that day, like today, when he answered the door and I handed him my catch. I broke down in tears. His eyes were filled with tears as well; we just hugged and cried for a while. It felt so good to cry with someone that understood.

I stared at my ceiling for a few minutes, thinking about Lily. I couldn't go back to sleep, so I slowly got out of bed and stand up. I notice a lump under my sheets and pull my covers down; bundled up in a ball was Jaxe's jacket. I smile; he remembered how it had comforted me last year. I pick it up shake out the wrinkles.

I dress in jeans and a simple purple long sleeve shirt, and then slip into Jaxe's navy blue jacket. I smile as the warmth surrounds me and reminds me of last night. The box we found on the beach sits on my dresser, with the trident necklace laying over it. I take the necklace and put it on. I look back at the clock. 6:14. I have time to take a walk down the beach. I walk into the hallway and quietly open Willy's bedroom door. My little brother is sound asleep in his bed; I lean down and kiss his forehead.

"I'll be back later." I whisper and walk back out. My brother is used to waking up to an empty house. My dad leaves early every morning to catch fish and I usually go out with Jaxe. I quickly make two pieces of toast and eat them. They will hold me over until we go to Sea Shell Diner. I walk out the back door and look up at the sky; the rain has stopped for now. I walk down the street, towards the beach.

My watch says 6:54 as I take my shoes off and walk down the beach. Ocean water laps at my feet and I close my eyes remembering the day I found my trident necklace. The silver shining though the water as if it wanted me to find it and the way the cold silver felt against my chest made me relax. I remember being cornered by Titan and his friends, and then Jaxe shouting "Let her go!" He didn't even know me, yet he was willing to get beat up, just to save me. I remember my impulsive jump off Misty Pier when Titan accidentally let go of my necklace. Then when Jaxe jumped in after me, but I thought it was Titan. I smile as I remember all of this. I open my eyes, about two feet to my right is a beautiful Cowrie shell. I lean down and pick it up. The white shell is half the size of my palm. I slip it in my pocket and smile. Hope in a shell, I think as I keep walking. My mind wanders to Jaxe; he's probably out fishing right now to catch the two fish for Chace.

Light rain starts to fall and a cold wind picks up. I look up at the sky as black clouds roll in, making everything around me dark. I look at my watch again. 7:26. I didn't realize I was out so long! I turn around and run back towards town. My wet hair clings to my face as run. I stop at my house and quickly grab a towel from inside the door to dry off. I run upstairs and take a shower, then get dressed in jeans, a burgundy top and black rain boots. I put Jaxe's jacket through the dryer and put it back on. Before leaving the house again I grab an umbrella, since the rain hasn't stopped. The only way to get to the Victor's Village is through Town Square, so I head in that direction. I hear something snap as I turn the corner, the square is empty. My eyes fix on a Peacekeeper, he is standing over a guy. The guy is on his knees, with his head almost touching the muddy ground. His hands are tied to a pole by rope, and there are twenty-nine bloody lines on his back. He's being whipped. The Peacekeeper holds his hand back, letting the whip dangle behind him, ready to strike again.

My eyes widen, District four rarely has a whipping. I've heard the poor districts have them a lot, because food is hard to get there. Right before I am about to turn around, I catch the sight of wet brown hair on the guy's head as he breathes deeply, trying not to pass out.

"NO!" I scream "JAXE!"

The umbrella drops to the ground as I run towards the scene. The Peacekeeper turns around to face me.

"Go home, missy." He says, his deep voice rattling my bones.

"No!" I scream again. My voice seems to bring Jaxe back to earth. He mumbles something, but I can't make it out. Before I can try to stop him, the Peacekeeper slashes Jaxe's back again with the leather whip. Jaxe moans through clenched teeth. I cover my mouth to muffle my scream. Rain washes away the fresh red blood.

"I hope you learned you lesson, boy!" The Peacekeeper yells over the rain and walks away.

"Jaxe? JAXE!" I scream as I kneel beside him and start to untie the knots of the rope. He groans, barely conscious.

"NO! PLEASE STAY WITH ME!" I scream. "I can't lose you." Fear grips a hold of my throat. I can't loose him, he's the one I love. I finally get his hands free.

"Damera?" He mumbles, confused.

"Yes, it's me. Stay with me, Jaxe!" I whisper, my voice not working.

"Damera?" He repeats. "No, I-"

"I'm going to get you cleaned up, don't you worry." I get my shoulder under his arm and lift him up, holding his arm over my shoulders. I think fast; I can't make it back home with Jaxe, he's too heavy. The Victor's Village is only around the corner. I slowly walk forward, supporting Jaxe.

"Come on Jaxe. Hang in there for a few minutes. Walk. We will be there soon." I whisper. He seems to understand that, because he starts stumbling forward.

Tears don't fall until we reach Chace's house. Jaxe is about to pass out; I don't know how to help him. I knock on his door until Chace opens the door.

"What happened?" He asks, eyes wide.

"I don't know. He-" I choke up. "I found him getting whipped in Town Square-" The tears come out faster, but the rain washes them away. "-by a Peacekeeper."

My shoulder starts to go numb from supporting Jaxe. My left knee buckles and we almost fall into the mud, but I right myself in time.

"Here! Let me help. Let's get him inside." Chace says as he comes out and supports Jaxe on the other side. We slowly make it up the three steps and inside. I didn't realize how cold I was until the warm, sweet smelling air surrounded us.

"Let's get him into the extra room downstairs." Chace said and started walking down the hall. We walked into the room and carefully lay him down on the bed, on his chest. Jaxe is unconscious.

"I'll go get the doctor. You stay here." Chace says. I just nod, not trusting myself to speak without bursting into tears. Chace picks up a chair and sets in next to the bed.

"Sit down Damera, before you collapse, yourself." I sit down, battling tears.

"I'll be right back." Chace says. I don't take my eyes of Jaxe's face; even with his eyes closed I can tell he is in a lot of pain. "He's going to be alright." He adds, and then walks out.

I take a shaky breath and gently take his hand in mine. "What happened? Why did he whip you?" I ask, even though I know he can't hear me. "Jaxe. You can't leave me! I will not let you!" I try to scream, but all I manage is a whisper. I bury my face in the covers next to his our hands, letting tears come.

"Damera?" I feel a hand on my shoulder. I sit up and open my eyes. I'd fallen asleep; I didn't realize how exhausted I was until I rested my head on the bed. I blink and see that Chace is beside me.

"The doctor is here to look at Jaxe." He says in a comforting voice. I nod. My head is pounding and my face feels hot and wet. I look down at my hand and realize I'm still holding Jaxe's.

"It's okay now." He adds as he stands beside me, his arm over the back of my chair. "Jaxe will be fine. I'm here if you need me." I nod and stare at our hands. My body feels numb. I can't cry anymore, I can't feel anything.

"Doctor? You can come in now!" Chace shouts out the door. I watch as a short chubby man with a small crown of gray hair walks in holding a black bag. He sets the bag down at the foot of the bed.

"What happened to this young man?" The doctor asks.

"He was whipped by a Peacemaker." Chace says.

"A whipping?" he looks at me, then Chace. "And why would he of been whipped?"

"We don't know yet." I answer, my voice cracks and I focus on Jaxe's hand in mine again to calm myself down.

"I've only treats a few whip marks in all of the fifty years of my practice!" The doctor explains. "Lets see one was for stealing a ring from a store. I can't remember what store. I think it was the-"

"Can you please just heal Jaxe?!" I shout, louder then I expected. I look down, guilty. "Sorry." I mumble. Chace squeezes my shoulder gently.

"It's alright. You are under a lot of stress, Damera."

"Right! Of course! Sorry." The doctor utters and opens his bag.

"Take a deep breath." Chace whispers. I do as he says, letting the cold air enter my body. I look up at the doctor, who is taking a few bottles and bandages out of his bag.

"Young lady." He looks at me. "I recommend you leave the room. It won't be pretty."

"No! I'm not leaving him!" I shout.

"Maybe it's a good idea-" Chace whispers.

"No! Jaxe needs me here!" I shake my head.

Chace kneels beside me and looks into my eyes. "You are with him. Always. He knows that. Just for a few minutes, it would be a good idea to go into the next room. So the doctor can take care of him. Okay?"

I look at Jaxe's hands as I think. I want to be there for him, so he knows he's not alone. But I get queasy at the sight of blood and the thought of watching the doctor clean out his wounds makes my stomach turn, and I don't know what I'd do if Jaxe started screaming in pain.

I slowly pull my hand out of his. The effect makes my head spin. I stand up; my legs shake and Chace wraps his arms around me and helps me walk out of the room. He closes the door when we get out. I take a deep breath and relax a little.

"Where's the restroom?" I whisper, my stomach does flips and starts to feel like it coming up to my mouth. The room starts to spin and my body feels like it's being held over a fire.

"Over here." He quickly leads me to the bathroom and helps me sit down in front of the toilet. Once I empty myself of everything that was in my stomach, I feel a lot better. Chace gets me a tall glass of water and I down it instantly. He wets a cloth with cold water and dabs my face. I close my eyes letting everything fade except the coolness on my face. I am jerked back to reality when I hear Jaxe scream in pain.

"It's okay Damera. The doctor is just cleaning out his wounds." He whispered. I closed my eyes tight, trying to block out his screams. Chace sits beside me on the floor and rubs my back. I bury my head in his shoulder and cry.

After what seems like hours, Jace's screams stop. I open my eyes slowly. Chace looks down at me.

"I think we can go back in now.," he says and I nod. "Are you done squeezing my hand off?"

I look down at my hand and realize I'm holding Chace's hand so tight that my knuckles are white.

"Sorry." I whisper and loosen my grip on his hand.

He smiles and stands up, helping me up. "Come on." I follow him back to the room. We wait outside for a few minutes, until the doctor comes out. He's cleaning his hand on a blood-splattered towel. I hide my face in Chace's shoulder, feeling weak when I see the blood.

"How is he?" I hear Chace ask.

"I gave him Morphing, a pain drug. He is sleeping right now. You can go in and see him, but let him rest." The doctor replied. At the last sentence I ran past the doctor and into the room. Jaxe was still lying on his stomach. His whole torso was wrapped in clean white bandages. I sit in the chair watching him sleep. He finally looked relaxed. I can finally relax.

I hear the doctor and Chace talking, but I ignore them. I gently sit beside him on the wide bed. I gently lie down next to him and slide my hand into his hand.

"I won't leave you again." I whisper and watch his face. He stays asleep. My eyelids feel heavy and I close my eyes.

"Damera?" I hear as something brushes my face. I open my eyes to see Jaxe looking at me from the other side of the pillow.

"Jaxe." I smile. He pushes another loose strand out of my face.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. How are you feeling?" I ask, remembering what happened.

"I don't feel anything." He whispers and his face twists into a frown. "What happened?"

"I found you in Town Square. A Peacekeeper was whipping you," I say, barely audible.

Jaxe looks down at our hands, to avoid my eyes. "I'm sorry."

"What happened?"

"I-" He stops and intertwines our fingers.

"Jaxe. It's okay. Just tell me."

"I got caught stealing fish from a fisherman." He whispers. I don't say anything for a minute. Why would he steal a fish? He knows how to fish.

"Why?" I whisper.

"It was just this time! I woke up late and didn't have time to go out fishing. So I thought I could get away with it, this time."

"You didn't get away with it, Jaxe. I was so scared. I thought you going to die on me! I thought-" I swallow hard. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"You can't lose me that easily, Damera." Jaxe whispers and squeezes my hand.

"Jaxe…"

"It's going to be okay. I'm so sorry for what happened. I promise you it won't happen again."

"It better not." I whisper and bury my face in his chest. He strokes my hair gently as I cry.

"How are you doing?" I hear Chace ask as he walks in.

I raise my head and look at him. I can read on his face that Jaxe already told him what happened.

"I feel better." Jaxe says.

I look out the only window in the room. It's gray outside; rain is coming down hard. The glass must be too thick for us to hear the rain, but it's quiet in the room.

"How long have I slept?" I ask.

"About seventeen hours." Chace says as he sits on the chair.

Seventeen hours? I have never slept that long in my life.

"Jaxe it's time for more Morphing." Chace says as he picks up a needle full of liquid. I wince and look back at Jaxe.

"It's ok, Damera. Why don't you go wash up while I give it to him?"

I hesitate, not wanting to leave him again. Jaxe nods, telling me it's okay. I sit up and Chace helps me stand.

"I'll be right back." I say as I walk out. I walk to the bathroom and looks at myself in the mirror. My hair is tangled and messy from not brushing it after the rain. My face is a little red and my eyes are puffy from crying. I turn on the cold water and wash my hands then splash my face several times. After minutes of deep breath, I head back to the room. I knock and hear Chace say it's okay for me to come in. I open the door and walk in. Jaxe is sitting up, elbows on his knees so he's leaning forward. The bandages are a little bloodied, so I look at Jaxe's face instead.

He must of seem the worry on my face, because he says, "I'm fine, Damera." He pats on the bed next to him.

I sit down and kiss his cheek. He smiles and takes my hand in his. He traces patterns on it and I smile.

"I'm sorry again. It was stupid." He mumbles, staring at my hand.

"It was." I whisper. "But I forgive you Jaxe. I can't be mad at you." I push brown hair off his forehead and smile.

Chace stands up from the chair. "My mom is making breakfast. I'll go check on it." He says, knowing we want to be alone. He walks out and closes the door. Jaxe keeps playing with my hand, not wanting to look me in the eyes.

"Jaxe." I whisper, soothingly. "I was just so worried."

"I know. I vaguely remember what happened in the Square. You were brave."

"I was terrified."

"You were brave." He repeats placing his other hand on my cheek. I smile relaxing a little. I close my eyes; finally able to relax, because I know Jaxe will be okay.

Jaxe gently holds the back of my neck and kisses me. We stay connected to each other for a few minutes, and then he pulls away and says, "Chace said that the doctor said I can go back home tomorrow." I smile then he adds, "But my mom is too busy with her restaurant, so Chace said I could stay here. The doctor has to visit everyday for a while."

I nod. "It's probably better then you stay here."

Jaxe smiles. Chace comes in holding two bowls. "Breakfast time." He says as he hands them to us.

Chace has to keep refilling our bowls, because we eat the oatmeal in minutes. When we finally are full we had eaten seven bowls each. We both hadn't had breakfast, lunch or dinner yesterday and were starving.

The next few days went by slowly. I spent most of my time at Chace's house taking care of Jaxe. He still couldn't get out of bed; his back was sore. He slept most of the time sleeping, we only woke him so he could eat and get some more Morphing in him. The days turned into two weeks, and finally the doctor said his back had healed enough that we could take walks outside. Then the days turned spending most of our time walking along the beach and town; we would never let go of each other's hands.


	5. Chapter 5

"Ready?" I ask. I'm in my swimsuit standing on the handrails of the farthest part of Misty Pier. I glance over at the person on my right. He is in swim trunks. I can see his back clearly; raised lines are all that is left of his whipping wounds. Months have passed, but I still remember that day very well.

"Yes." Jaxe smiles at me. He takes my hand and looks into my eyes. "I won the bet, you're coming with me." He says, the early morning's sunlight playing off his hair.

I nod and squeeze his hand. "Let's get this over with, before I change my mind."

"Three, Two, One."

As he finishes the countdown, we both jump off at the same time. I take a deep breath, and a few seconds later I feel cold water surround me. It feels refreshing, I can feel my body become more aware, more awake. We don't let go of each other's hands as we swim to the surface. I come up laughing, and when Jaxe comes up he laughs also. He wraps his free arm around my waist and I feel heat rush to my face. He smiles and kisses my cheek. I smile and look into his sea-colored colored eyes.

"Let's get to shore." I whisper. He smiles and lets go of my waist. We make our way back to shore. When we are knee deep, Jaxe's arm finds it's normal position around my waist. We stop and face each other. I smile and look back into his eyes again. Both of his hands are around my waist and both of my hands are on his biceps. He leans down and kisses me softly.

That day we spend together walking down the beach, picking up shells and skipping rocks.

Sun shone through my window when I opened my eyes the next day. Today wasn't a normal day. Today was the day everyone went to Town Square and watched as one boy and one girl were picked from a large glass ball to go into the Hunger Games' arena. Today was my least favorite day. Today was the Reaping.

I got out of bed and took a shower then went to my small closet. I only had a handful of dresses. Today we are supposed to dress up in our nicest clothes. I finally picked out a lavender dress that went to my knees. I put it on and then fixed my hair up in an up do. I put the silver trident necklace on and a pair of black flats.

No one works on Reaping day, not even my dad. I went downstairs and starting making breakfast. Jaxe was going over for breakfast. So I was making for four people. I made eggs and pancakes.

Willy and I were filling the plates when we hear a knock at the back door and Jaxe comes in.

"Just in time." I laugh and as we place the plates on our kitchen table. He smiles and sits down.

After we eat we head out to Town Square. Jaxe and I are forced to let go of each other's hands as the Peacekeepers round all of the kids into ages and gender. The major, Nova Lineti, Chace, and two other mentors walk up onto the stage.

"Welcome to the Forty Fifth annual Hunger Games!" Nova says in a high pitch voice.

My heart was beating so fast. What if I got chosen? My mind wondered to Lily and what happened to year before. I took a deep breath and looked over at Jaxe. He nodded; telling me everything is going to be okay. I looked back up to the stage. The usual video was playing, but I wasn't paying attention.

Before I knew it Nova was walking up to the microphone. Her curly light blue hair swirls around her like waves.

"Now let's begin!" She clapped her hands together and smiles. "Ladies first!" She slowly stirred the bowl with her hand then took out a sheet of paper. "Kira Melun!"

I sighed in relief as a small girl, who looked like she was fifteen, walked up. Her black hair was cut to chin length and I looked like she was about to cry. I remembered the look on Lily's face when she stood up there.

Nova swirled the boy's slips around then picked one out. "Jaxe Odair!"

The world started to spin. I remembered the time Jaxe and I went swimming and he scared me by going under and I couldn't find me, that's how I felt now. Why did Nova call Jaxe's name?

I watched as he walked up to the stage and stood beside Nova. He looked at me and I felt like I was going to die. Everyone is taken away from me by the evil Hunger Games!

"Our tributes for the Forty Fifth annual Hunger Games!" Nova said, as she smiled wide. I felt sick.

I rushed into the room, and into Jaxe's arms. "Please! Please don't leave me! I-" A lump was forming in my throat, I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. "I can't be here without you." Jaxe rubbed my back and buried his face in my hair, which had fallen down from the updo.

"I will be back before you know it." He whispered. "I have no plans of dying in whatever arena they throw at me."

Hot tears fell down my cheeks. What if Jaxe didn't make it out? I didn't want to watch him die.

"Why did Nova have to pick your name out of that bowl?" I try to scream, but only a whisper comes out.

Jaxe takes a deep breath. "I should of known." He whispers.

"What?" I look at him, confused.

"They didn't just pick my name out by mistake." He pauses and looks down. "They made sure my name would be picked."

I was frozen in place, to shocked to think. "Why-" I choked. "Why would you say that?"

"It's my punishment. The whipping."

I tried to wrap my head around what he just said. The whipping was the punishment, why would they do more? The Capitol wanted to show that you couldn't get away with stealing.

I buried my face in Jaxe's shirt, trying to forget what Jaxe just said. They would make Jaxe go into the arena to die, just to show everyone here that stealing is illegal?

"I love you." He whispers. I pull away from his chest and look into his sea-colored eyes.

"I love you, Jaxe." I say, my heart feels like a heavy rock in my chest. This might be the last time I get to look into his eyes. This might be the last time I get to tell him I love him. This might be the last time I get to call his name. I want to stay in his arms forever. I might not ever get to again.

"Jaxe?" I ask, the lump forming in my throat again.

"Yes?" He asks as he runs his hand over my cheek, and to the back of my neck.

"Promise you will come back to me?" I whisper, trying to hold back the second wave of tears.

"I promise." He nods and pulls me close, kissing me.

"Time is up!" I hear and feel strong hands grab my forearms and pull. I am ripped from Jaxe's arms. I scream and tears fall. I watch Jaxe, his eyes are filled with sadness and anger. Before I am pulled from the room, I rip off my necklace and throw it to Jaxe.

"Your district token!" I scream and I see Jaxe look at the small silver trident and look back up into my eyes and nod. The door slams shut and the Peacekeepers let go of me.

I ran out of the building. I had to get away. Go somewhere, anywhere. Strong arms wrapped around me, holding me back. At first I thought it was Jaxe, but then I remembered he was still in the room.

"Let me go!" I screamed as I tried to get out of the arm's grip.

"Damera. Calm down. You're going to hurt yourself." Chace said.

"Chace! Let me go!" I screamed. "Please!"

"No, not until you stop squirming and promise me you won't run away. You could get hurt!"

All of a sudden I noticed how exhausted I feel. I turn around and cry on Chace's shoulder.

"Come on, Damera. Let's get you home."

That night my dreams are filled with scenes of a dying Jaxe in different arenas. In a snow-covered arena, he is shivering and dies from frostbite. In a fiery arena, Jaxe is fighting a giant and gets pushed into the flames. In an ocean arena, Jaxe fell overboard and is drowning. And in a cloud-filled arena, Jaxe fell through the clouds and disappears into the sky below.

I wake up screaming and warm tears soaking my clothes. First I lose Lily, now I have to lose Jaxe. My dad rushed into the room, concerned.

"What's wrong, Damera?" He asks, sitting next to me and pulling onto his lap. I cry for hours as my dad rocks me. I don't dare try to fall asleep. I will only dream of Jaxe dying again.

I wake up from a dreamless sleep. I was still in my dad's arms, but I wasn't on my bed. My dad was sitting on a lounge chair on our back porch, a blanket on my lap. The ocean waves crashed only about fifty feet away.

"Dad?" I mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Finally. Good morning, Sweetheart." He kisses my forehead.

I pulled my legs against my chest, the warmth of the blanket made me sleepy; but then I remembered what happened yesterday. Fresh tears formed in my eyes. I held my legs tight, trying to forget. Jaxe was gone; he was probably in the Capitol right now getting ready for the opening ceremonies.

"Damera, I know you miss him, but you can't keep crying like this. Please." My dad whispers, "How about you take Willy to the beach again. It will get your mind off of him."

A tear falls down my cheek. "I don't want to forget him."

"I know, but you will see him tonight on the T.V."

I nod slowly and stand up. "Now go get ready and I'll make us breakfast." My dad says.

I go up to my room, take my clothes off and hop into the shower. The hot water burns my swollen face, so I switch it. The cold water soothes my face and I feel awake. I switch the water over to hot again, and let it melt my memories away. I feel safe.

Willy and I played on the beach until five, when we came back for dinner. It was weird not having Jaxe sitting across from me at the dinner table. During dinner I stared at the back of his chair. My heart left like it was sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Jaxe wasn't here with me. He was going to be in the arena in a week. I look down at my fish dinner. It doesn't taste like anything. I can't feel the fork in my hand. Life is dull with out him.

I climb up the ladder that Jaxe took me up a year ago. The opening ceremonies are about to begin and I don't want to miss a chance to see Jaxe. I sit on the edge, staring down at all of District four's citizens. The Capitol's anthem blares from the giant television. I remember running to Jaxe in the rain, when I saw him being whipped. My eyes flooded with tears.

"Can I sit here?"

I look behind me to see Chace. He is wearing jeans, a white long-sleeves shirt and a black hoodie. I nod and scoot over. He sits down next to me and I am reminded of my first time up here with Jaxe. It was a year ago, and we were watching the opening ceremonies of the Forty Forth Hunger Games. The games where I lost Lily; I can't lose Jaxe.

Giant golden words spell out "The Forty Fifth Annual Hunger Games" on the screen then die away to show Ceasar Flickerman and Claudius Templesworth. They start talking about how excited they are for this year's games and how they can't wait to see what the stylists have picked out for the tributes. I watch, but I'm getting nervous to see what they did to Jaxe.

Finally they announce it's time to begin. I reach for my trident necklace, but then I remember; I gave it to Jaxe for his District Token. I wonder if he still has it, if he will be wearing it tonight, or if he lost it. My fingers touch the soft cloth on my chest; it feels bare without my necklace.

The Capitol's anthem starts and the giant doors open. District One's tributes ride out, the camera zooms in and I notice they are both in tight gold shirts and pants, with long golden and silver strands flying behind them. The girl has long light hair that has strands of jewels mixed in. Her makeup is also gold. The boy has short black hair and also has gold makeup. Their horses gain speed and the camera focuses on the District Two tributes as they come out.

I feel my heart beating fast. Last year the boy from District Two killed my best friend, and tried to kill Chace. I look over at Chace; he looks calm as the television's lights play off his face. I remember Jaxe in the same place, a year ago. His beautiful eyes were focused on me. I feel my fast beating heart sink down lower in my chest. I silently take a deep breath and look back at the screen.

The District Two tributes are dressed in thick silver armor that looks like knights from medieval times. The girl has dark brown hair that is in a braid across her forehead and her lips and eyelids are silver. The boy has spiky blonde hair with silver highlights and eyelashes. His arms are bare, showing layers of muscle. I try not to think of what he could do to Jaxe in the arena. The Capitol people in the stands are cheering wildly. I feel sick to my stomach.

The District Three chariot rolls out pulled by gray horses. The tributes clothes are black with multi-colored wires hanging all over them. Some of the wires are twisted in the girls brown hair and the boy has several around his small arms. District Four is up next.

I feel strong arms hug me. I lean against his body. Chace knows what I'm thinking; we are about to see Jaxe.

I take a deep breath as I see a chariot pull out past the doors. My eyes fix on a tall teen boy; he has navy blue pants- the same color as the jacket Jaxe wrapped around me a year ago- his chest his bare showing his six-pack. A long cape flows behind him, the colors change from blue to green to turquoise as it flies, making it look like small waves on the ocean. His eyelids are turquoise and his brown hair is flying across his forehead. I gasp realizing it is Jaxe. He looks so different; they made him look like the Capitol people we saw on the television. But he oddly enough he still looked handsome. I watched as he waved, he looked so strong and confident. The audience went wild. At first I thought was just looking at the shine from the body glitter on his chest, but when the camera zoomed in on Jaxe and I realized it was my trident necklace. I smile; Jaxe still had it. He hadn't forgotten about it. I feel a spark of happiness lift my heart back to its normal place.

When the camera moves on to the District Five tributes, Chace says, "You can let go now."

I look at him, and notice he's looking at his arm. I look down and see my hand holding on so tight onto his biceps that my knuckles are white.

"Sorry." I reply and let go of his arm.

My muscles in my left hand are tight. I flex my hand.

"Don't worry, Damera." He says. "They aren't too big this year."

"The District Two male isn't as…" He pauses and looks down. "Isn't as big as last year."

I looked up at the screen again, The District Seven was on screen; they were covered head to toe in bright green material leaves. The District Two boy wasn't as big? He still looked like he couldn't wait to kill every tribute with his bare hands. I didn't want Jaxe to die, especially not at the hands of him. If he even scratches Jaxe, I don't know how I'd handle it. Having to watch Lily die was enough.

The District Eight tributes were in colorful silk outfits that seemed to fly around them. I watched, but all I could think about was Jaxe. I watch as the District Ten tributes came out in spotted cow costumes.

"Chace?" I whisper, finally feeling it's the right time to ask a question.

"Yeah?" He asks.

"Aren't you supposed to be Jaxe and Kira's mentor?"

"No, I'm too young, besides they already have two" He paused. "More experienced mentors for Jaxe and Kira."

"Well I'm glad you're here." I whisper.

He nods. "Jaxe told me to look after you like I would a sister. I already feel like your brother since-" He stopped, but I knew what he was going to say. Since the day I showed up on his doorstep, offering a fish and we ended up crying over Lily together.

"Thanks." I whisper. The District Eleven Tributes looked scared to death as they come out in brown and white farming outfits.

Chace squeezes me, trying to tell me everything is going to be alright. We silently watch as the District Twelve tributes come out in tight mining jumpsuits and helmets that have headlamps. The music stops and the camera zooms out showing that all of the Tribute's chariots are in a half circle around President Snow's mansion. I stare at the back of Jaxe's head, trying to tell what he is thinking. For the first time I notice the Kira beside him. Her short black hair is curly and has strings of small shells in it. She is wearing he same color pants as Jaxe, and she has a silver and turquoise bikini top and the same ocean-like cape.

The camera zooms in on the mansion's balcony as President Snow walks out and waves. His white beard is neatly trimmed. He welcomes the tributes and starts his speech. The camera cuts off to the District One tributes. Their golden outfits are glittering in thousands of lights; they were taking in all of the attention. I tune out the president's speech, just watching the tributes, trying to see what their personalities are like, how they would try to kill Jaxe, and what scores they will get in a few days. After a minute the camera went to the District Two tributes, they looked confident and strong. Their silver armor shone and made me sick. I looked down at all the people in Town Square instead. Everyone was watching the T.V. screen waiting to see Jaxe and Kira.

Chace whispered, "You can look now, District Three is on."

They flashed the District Three tributes for about fifteen seconds, before the cameras zoom in on Kira and Jaxe. The cameras cut off to the other tributes every once in a while, but mostly stay on them. I get a better look at Jaxe. I notice he also has streaks of blue and turquoise in his brown hair and his lips are tinted a deep pink color. He seems confident, but I've known him too long to see though that he is nervous.

Wind picks up in District Four and I shiver. I feel Chace wrap his arms around me. I snuggle into his arms, getting warm. I remember Jaxe giving me his jacket, keeping me warm.

"Thanks." I whisper. I feel Chace nod and rest his chin on my head. I stare at Jaxe's face on the screen. I look down at Chace's arms, which are around my midsection, and wish Jaxe were here to hold me.

Finally the national anthem plays again and the chariots run around the circle in front of the mansion and into the training center.

"In three days we will see his scores." Chace says as Caesar and Claudius appear on the screen.

I slowly stand up. "Thanks for being here for me." I whisper.

He nods and stands up. "Damera, you may not believe me right now, but I know he has a big chance of winning this. I know he misses you and I know he can fight."

I feel tears form in my eyes. I want Jaxe to win with all my heart. I want him to come home to me. I truly hope he can fight his way in the arena. Chace hugs me and I cry into his shirt. After a few minutes, I calm down and we climb down the store's ladder. Chace walks me home, and I go up to my bedroom, slipping into my pajamas and falling onto my bed, crying.

Missing Jaxe makes me feel hollow. It makes me feel like I want to curl up in a ball and die. I don't want to see Jaxe get hurt, or die. I want him here with me, home safe.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Thank you everyone who has read my story so far! I have much more to post (at least 3 more Chapters) and I am still writing.  
**

**Thank you again (:  
**


	6. Chapter 6

Nightmares interrupted my sleep. First I was in Jaxe's boat, fishing. Jaxe was about twenty feet away from the boat swimming. But when I looked closer, I saw he was drowning. I tried to scream, but nothing came out. I tried to throw the fishing line out to pull him in, but the pole crumbled into sand. I quickly tried to turn on the boat's motor, but it also turned into sand and falls into the ocean. I look over at Jaxe; he looks tired. He looks like he can't get air into his lungs. I scramble to a seat and grab the oars. I try to paddle the boat towards him, but after a few minutes of only going a few inches the oars also turn into sand. I try to scream Jaxe's name, but nothing comes out again. I watch as Jaxe closes his eyes before he sinks into the cold dark blue ocean.

The dream shifts and I'm watching as Jaxe is running in last year's desert arena. He looks behind him as he runs. I see a storm gaining on him. There's a line of lightning that comes from the cloud and hits the ground. The lightning doesn't go back up into the cloud; instead it stays on the ground and moves toward Jaxe. I try to scream, tell Jaxe to run faster, but nothing comes out of my mouth. I notice Jaxe is in his opening ceremony costume. The cape is torn into shreds and is stained with blood. His chest has tons of scratches and some are bleeding. The lightning ran across the ground, gaining on Jaxe. All of a sudden Jaxe fell into an abyss. I tried to scream again, but my voice wasn't with me and Jaxe was gone.

I scream and sit up in bed, wide-awake. I look at my clock. 2:43. I stand up and look out my window. It's dark outside, but I can see the moon's reflection on the water. I wonder what Jaxe is doing right now. Is he sleeping? Or is he too nervous to sleep? I watch the silver waves crash on the shore and know that Jaxe is homesick. For reasons I can't explain, I know he wants to be in the ocean. I remember the day we went fishing. I decide that I'm going out to his boat, one thing that reminds me of him. I quickly take a shower and dress in long jeans, a gray long sleeves shirt and black boots.

I slip out of the house quietly and down the beach to the harbor. Jaxe's boat is still tied to the small pier, like it was when we went fishing. I get in and untie it. I start the motor and the little boat sails out of the harbor. When I'm out in open water, I stop the moto and finally look around. It's dark all around me, except for the silver light on the water from the moon. I finally realize why I'm out here- my dream. My heart starts beating fast and I look around, expecting to see Jaxe drowning. I look at the motor. It hasn't turned to sand. I look at the bottom of the boat and see the wooden oars. It was only a nightmare. It's not real. I stare at the seat containing Jaxe's fishing equipment, debating with myself if I should open it. I finally decide to look. I kneel in front of the bench and open it. In the dim light of the moon I can see Jaxe's tackle box, two fishing poles, life jackets, a net, an empty bucket, and a few towels. My heart sinks, because these are his. He touched them not too long a go and now he might never come back to use them again. I run my hand over the soft towels, closing my eyes. I see Jaxe's face. His soft skin, gorgeous smile, amazing sea-colored eyes, his brown hair sweeping over his forehead. For a minute I am happy, but then I open my eyes and realize I'm not with him. He's not here in District Four. He's far away, in the Capitol.

The boat rocks and I stumble back to my feet. I notice the sky is a lighter gray now. Tonight we get to see what the tribute's scores are from their private lessons with the Gamemakers. I promised Chace I'd watch it at his house. I didn't want to be in public.

I turn the motor on and steer the boat back to its place at the harbor and leave it like I found it. I walk up the harbor and into town for a quick breakfast. I stop short, watching an old woman in the window of a store. Her graying brown hair is in a neat bun and she is wearing a simple flowered dress. She looks like she's crying as she makes bread. Somehow I know her. I glance at the handwritten sign above the door. "Odair's Family Restaurant". I stare at the first word in shock. That is Jaxe's mother in the shop. I feel the need to go in and hug her. And before I know it I am knocking on the window.

Jaxe's mother wipes her eyes and sniffles as she comes to the window. "We are closed sorry." She says.

"Are you Jaxe's mother?" I yell though the glass window.

Her face lights up and then she looks down sad. "Yes. Did you know my son?"

"I'm Damera. His girlfriend."

She rushes to the door and unlocks it. I walk in and she hugs me, making flour fly everywhere.

"Damera. My son has talked about you a lot! It's so good to finally meet you!"

I feel my cheeks get warm. Jaxe talked about me? What did he say?

"Would you like something to eat?" she asks as she goes behind the counter. "I just made the muffins and I can make you some eggs and toast!"

I smile politely. "Um, yes please. Thank you!"

She smiles and takes out a muffin then turns on the stove. I sit down at the counter watching her. Her smile is identical to Jaxe's, and her blue eyes shine when she talks about him.

After eating the breakfast she made me, I notice that it's 4:26. "I need to get back to my house. My dad will wonder about me, if I'm not home when he gets up."

She nods. "Come back anytime!" She hugs me again and I see water form in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I wish…" I stop myself, incase she doesn't know why he got picked. "Thanks again. I will come by soon."

I walk out of the restaurant and down the street. Fishermen are starting to come out and get in their boats. I run home and quietly tiptoe upstairs. I take off my shoes and sink back into bed. The cold sheets quickly warm up and I drift off to sleep.

I'm on the hand railings of Misty Pier, the water is darker and seems to swirl in a circle below the pier. Someone grunts behind me. I carefully turn around to see the District Two boy, Mason, from last year's Hunger Games. I scream and try to get away, but he grabs my arm. I loose my balance and lean back; Mason is keeping me from falling. He laughs and loosens his grip.

All of a sudden Jaxe is there behind Mason fighting him. I scream and try to get away. I look down over my shoulder. The water seems to have gotten taller and more violent. I jumped off the railings onto the Pier's floor and tried to get out of Mason's grip as he fought. Mason pushes us so hard we both fall though the railings and we fall down into the swirling dark water.

I wake up breathing hard. I try to calm down; telling myself it's only a dream. I stare at the ceiling as I think about the nightmare. What will this year's Careers do to Jaxe? What if Jaxe can't fight his way out? I look over at the clock and realize I was asleep for over two hours! I jump out of bed and splash cold water on my face. My hair is finally dry, I quickly brush it then go downstairs, my dad and Willy are sitting at the table eating.

The day went by slowly, since school was cancelled during the Hunger Games. After breakfast Willy and I went to town to buy groceries. We even had a little money left over to buy ice cream cones at Jaxe's family restaurant.

I watched as Willy licked his bubblegum ice cream, sticky juice running down his chin. I laugh and grab a napkin, wiping his face off.

"Are you enjoying it?"

He nods and licks his lips. I laugh again and take a spoonful of my mint chocolate chip ice cream. Jaxe's mother even gave me a glass of strawberry soda. Willy's eyes shone with happiness. They reminded me of my mother's eyes. I was only seven when she died, but I remember those bright green eyes like I'd seen her yesterday. My mother was truly beautiful. She had curly bronze-colored hair that she always put up in a bun. She had the most amazing smile in the world; just seeing it would make anyone smile no matter what your day was like. I felt my lips curl up in a smile, just thinking about it. For those brief minutes I fogot about Jaxe, Lily, the Capitol, that my mother died and my nightmares.

Willy and I walked home after finishing our ice creams. I notice the sun is setting on the water; it was almost time for the tributes scores to be announced. We put the groceries away and I get ready to go over to Chace's house. As I finish changing my shirt, I glance over at my dresser. On top is the black box Jaxe and I found at the beach. Luckily I left it open the day I gave Jaxe the necklace that was also the key to the box. I walked over and the photographs and letters. I gently picked up the small shells and ran my finger over the smooth surfaces, dusting the sand off. I set them down on the dresser and pick up the biggest shell and the sand dollar, they are both about the size of my palm, and sand them off also. Then I take out the gold pocket watch, it glittered in my hand. The lid was a cutout of a detailed flower and swirling vines with leaves framed it. I gently flip the lid up and stare at the watch panel. The hands on the clock don't work anymore, but the watch is still beautiful. I turn it over, the inscription engraved on the back says,

"_To the other half of my heart, _

_I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you._

_Your Lover, Jonathan_

_1914"_

I gently close my hand around the small round object and close my eyes. I think about the two lovers, Jonathan and Amy. Apparently Jonathan asked Amy to marry him before he left for war. I imagined Jaxe doing the same. If Jaxe hadn't been reaped into the games, would we of gotten married one day?

My dad's voice brings me back to reality. "Damera? It's almost time."

I open my eyes. "Okay. Thanks."

I put everything back in the box and walk outside towards Chace's house. On my way I pass the Odair's family restaurant. I glance over and see Jaxe's mother through the window again; she sees me and motions for me to come in. I don't have much time, but I walk inside anyways.

She cleans her hands on her apron and walks to the back, and then comes out holding a dark piece of clothing in her hands. "I think Jaxe would want you to have to this." She says as she holds it out. I take it and let it hang from my fingers. Its Jaxe's navy blue jacket. The same one that put around me when I was cold. The same jacket that I found in my bed the next day, because I wouldn't let go of it.

"Thanks." Is that I can manage.

We hug then I walk back out and towards Chace's house. As I walk I hold the jacket up to my nose and inhale Jaxe's scent. The pleasant smell makes me miss him even more. I pull the jacket on and keep walking.

When I finally get to the Victor's Village I knock on the door and a half a minute later Chace opens it.

"Hey Damera." He smiles. "Come in! You are just in time! My mom is almost done with our dinner!"

I step inside and he closes the door. "Thanks." I say.

"Chace?" I hear his mother say mostly from the kitchen. "Can you set the table?"

"Sure Mom!" Chace yells then he asks me, "Want to help?"

"Sure." I nod.

Chace and I set the table then help bring out the food. I can't remember a time when so much good food was set before me like this. There was so much, it looked like a feast. We all sat down at the table, Chace, his parents, his two younger sisters and his younger brother.

After dinner we all went to the richly furnished living room and sat in front of their television. Caesar and Claudius were talking about who they thought were going to get the highest. I laid Jaxe's jacket on my lap. It seemed to calm me down a little. I guess it was like having a piece of him with me. Chace was sitting next to me on the couch in front of the television. His younger siblings were sitting on the floor, drawing or playing with toys, and his parents were in the two chairs on either side of the couch.

I sucked in my breath. The Careers were first, the ones that had the best chance of killing Jaxe. The screen showed the District One boy's face and the number eight flashed below it. Then the girl's face appeared and the number eight flashed; they got the lower end of the numbers the Careers usually got. I dug my hands into the jacket on my lap. Next was the District Two boy. The one last year killed Lily; I didn't want him to kill Jaxe.

The number ten appears on the screen. Ten. A ten means he must of wowed the Gamemakers. I closed my eyes trying not to imagine what he did to impress them. Did he decapitate dummy's heads with a sword? Did he pierce them with his spear?

I opened my eyes just time to see the nine below the District Two girl's face. The District Three tributes got a six and a five. Next was Jaxe. I took a deep breath and watched as Jaxe's face appeared on the television. Then the number ten flashed on the screen. Ten! Jaxe got a ten, just like the District Two boy. At first I felt relieved, it meant he can fight, but then as I thought about it I realized it wasn't a good thing. The stylists might as well paint a red bulls eye on the back of his arena outfit. Now all the Careers will want to kill him. They don't want a threat around.

"Damera?" I hear Chace ask. I only nod, not trusting myself to speak.

I feel his warm hand find mine. He gently pulls my hand out of a fist I never knew I tightened. "He's going to be fine, remember?" He whispers.

I nod again and watch as the District Five tributes get sixes. I swallow a lump that was forming in my throat and whisper, "I hope so."

The scores continue, but I don't pay much attention. I tried to imagine being with Jaxe as he got his score. What had he done that made the Gamemakers give him ten? I may never know, but I did know that he saved me a year ago. I doubt that if he wasn't good at fighting, he wouldn't of tried to save me.

After the scores were done, the kids ran upstairs to play. Chace and I walked to the door as I put Jaxe's jacket on. I was still in shock from Jaxe's score. Chace opens the door and looks outside.

"It's dark outside. I should walk you home." He says.

"I'm fine." I nod. "Thanks." I pull the collar of the jacket up to my face and step out. Standing at the base of the steps, I turn around and look up at Chace.

"The interviews are two nights from now. You can come over again. It's more private then the square. You'd feel more comfortable." He says and I nod.

"Thanks."

I walk towards Town Square, with only the full moon as lighting. The whipping pole in the middle of the square looks odd in the silver light. I stare at it, remembering when I saw Jaxe tied there. The memory makes my stomach turn. That whipping caused Jaxe's name to be pulled from the reaping bowl. If only I had been the one to catch the fish that morning, it would never of happened. I stopped myself. I can't start thinking like that!

I finally got home and changed into my pajamas. Once my head hit the pillow I was asleep. Jaxe and Lily's face haunted my dreams. I dreamt about Lily dying. I dreamt about Jaxe getting whipped. I dreamt about Lily and I on the beach when a storm comes and then so does Mason, the District Two boy from last year. Suddenly I'm watching Lily fight Mason. They move slowly as if time has slowed down. Mason makes a move that distracts Lily, and he quickly pulls out a knife and stabs her in the stomach. I watch as Lily crumbles to the ground. I try to scream, but I'm mute.

I sit up wide-awake, breathing hard. My body is covered in sweat and I'm trembling. I try to calm down; telling myself it was just a nightmare. It can't be real. Lily is already dead. I get up and look out my window. Dawn is coming. Today Jaxe will be getting ready for the interviews.

I grab the first clothes I find and pull them on then quietly slip downstairs and outside, walking straight for the ocean. My mind is repeating the nightmare where Lily dies and Jaxe gets whipped. I don't feel the cold water around my ankles. My whole body feels numb. I splash in until I'm to my waist. My mind seems to crack, and I finally realize how bad I want Jaxe. Tears come fast and they won't stop, but I let them fall. I feel overwhelmed with sadness. First I lose Lily to the Games and now I might lose Jaxe. The two people I felt closest to. It's not fair.

I slam my hands down into the water, wanting to feel the cold water splash my face, but I'm still numb. My hands wonder to the pockets of my jeans. I feel something small and hard. I grab it in my fist and pull my hand out. I slowly open my hand, lying on my palm is the small white Cowrie shell; the shell I found on the morning of Jaxe's whipping. I'd forgotten all about it. The shell reminded me that there was still hope out there. I closed my hand around it and felt a smile form on my lips. There _was_ still hope. Jaxe could win these Games. He _did_ get a ten. I walked to shore and found myself walking towards the harbor. The sun was starting to rise above the water, which made it easier to see.

The next thing I knew I was at the end of Misty Pier. The sun was half way out of the water, making the sky a pinkish color. I slowly opened my hand again and stared at the shell. I had hope when Jaxe saved me from Titan and his friends. I had hope when I jumped with Jaxe off the railings. I still had hope today.

The sun is shining now; it makes me smile when I see the sun. It made me feel warm inside; almost as good as when Jaxe held me close and wrapped his jacket around me. I closed my eyes remembering that day.

"Damera?" I heard a familiar voice ask.

I opened my eyes and turned around to see Chace standing about ten feet from me. He had a fishing pole over his shoulder and in his right hand he held a small gray tackle box. Just like Jaxe. I smiled.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Oh uh-" I looked down at the shiny white shell in my hand. I closed my hand and looked back up at Chace. "Nothing. Just watching the sunrise."

He sat down on the edge of the pier and hung his legs over. "I come out here a lot." He paused and looked at the rising sun. "To think."

I sat beside him as he put bait on the hook. I thought about Jaxe.

"You know worms are the best bait?" I smiled, remembering what Jaxe told me.

"Worms?" He looked at me confused. I just nodded and smiled. I could finally smile and it felt good.

Chace threw out the line and leaned back against a wooden beam of the railing. He let out a sigh as he relaxed. I stared at the water below, remembering the jump I made with Jaxe. This morning I couldn't feel the cold water, maybe now that I smiled and felt better I would be able to feel it.

"Chace?"

"Yeah?" he looked over at me.

I scooted back and stood up on the pier. "I'm going to jump." I smiled.

"Jump? What are you crazy? Damera! You could get hurt!" He quickly pulled his fishing line up and set the pole down, then stood up next to me, grabbing my arm gently but firmly.

"Chace." I laughed. "I've done it twice before!" Chace just looked stunned, so I added, "Both times with Jaxe."

I quickly got out of his grip and carefully climbed on top of the railing. I watched the dark blue water below me.

"Damera, this isn't a good idea." Chace said and I realized he was standing beside me.

"You don't have to come with me." I laughed watching him squirm. Chace won the Hunger Games a year ago and he was afraid of diving from a pier? It was puzzling.

"I do, because I won't let you get hurt." He glanced over at me and I saw true concern in his eyes. He was nervous, not because he was scared of heights, because he didn't want me to get hurt.

I grabbed Chace's hand and jumped off laughing. I heard him complain, but then he was falling with me. I felt the cold air rush past me. I took a deep breath and felt the cold water surround me. I let go of Chace's hand and swam up to the surface. Once I got air back in my lungs I started laughing, I'm not sure why, but it felt good. Chace broke to the surface and laughed with me.

"I told you I wouldn't get hurt."

Chace and I walked to shore. Chace went back to Misty Pier to fish and I went home.


End file.
